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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — in cards
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — the season
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bank — for money
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — help
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — wild animals

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com