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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. lean — to bend
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — thin
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. toast — bread
  10. key — in music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. key — the most important part
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bank — for money
  20. bound — certain
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. chest — a box
  24. patient — a sick person

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