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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. can — a tin
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. can — to be able to
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bank — of a river
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — music
  11. mine — for digging
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pitch — completely
  15. march — the month
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. saw — the tool
  23. march — the month
  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