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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bank — for money
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. prune — to trim
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — for money
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — a weight
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cell — a phone
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bank — of a river

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