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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bank — for money
  8. mark — a trace
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chest — of your body
  11. branch — a division
  12. mark — a grade
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chest — a box
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. toast — bread
  24. chest — of your body

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