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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. capital — a city
  8. rest — a break
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. rest — what's left
  13. capital — money
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bear — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. fall — the season
  24. bank — for money

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