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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — for money
  7. stand — to bear
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. capital — a city
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bank — of a river
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bank — for money
  16. capital — money
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bear — the animal
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pound — for dogs

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