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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 the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. kid — child
  3. bank — for money
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. kid — to tease
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fall — to drop
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — of a river

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