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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bank — for money
  4. land — to come down
  5. net — after costs
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cap — of ice
  9. chip — to eat
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. net — in sport
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. land — a country
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rash — hasty
  16. land — ground
  17. bank — of a river
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stem — to come from
  20. rash — a series
  21. cap — a hat
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. net — for catching

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