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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. can — a tin
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cap — a hat
  5. field — for sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. field — farmland
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. can — a tin
  16. cap — a lid
  17. can — to be able to
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. field — a subject
  22. file — a document
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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