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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chair — a leader
  5. kid — child
  6. cap — of ice
  7. shower — rain
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bank — for money
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bank — of a river
  17. drill — army training
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. mouse — for a computer

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