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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. bank — for money
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. fine — all right
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. tube — the underground
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rock — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. fine — high quality
  11. stem — to come from
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spell — letters
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bank — of a river
  17. spell — magic
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bank — for money
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cue — for pool
  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