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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bank — for money
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — ground
  6. root — of a word
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. land — to come down
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bass — low music
  18. kick — in football
  19. root — the cause
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. root — of a plant
  23. land — a country
  24. cold — an illness

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