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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 124 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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cap — of ice
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bank — for money
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cap — a hat
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bank — of a river
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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