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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bank — of a river
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. band — a music group
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stand — to bear
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bank — for money
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bank — for money
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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