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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 116 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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stem — to come from
  3. march — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bound — obliged
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. craft — boats
  13. bank — of a river
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pop — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bound — certain
  21. pop — soda
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — child
  24. hide — to keep secret

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