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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. spring — of water
  5. date — the fruit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bank — for money
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. present — the time now
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spring — a coil
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bank — of a river
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. present — there
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. present — a gift

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