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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bank — for money
  4. can — a tin
  5. stem — to come from
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. can — to be able to
  11. can — a tin
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kid — child
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stem — of a plant

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