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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 120 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bank — for money
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cap — a hat
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cold — an illness
  11. fine — all right
  12. cold — not warm
  13. kick — in football
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. branch — a division
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bank — for money
  18. bore — to drill
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cap — a lid
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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