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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bound — tied together
  5. march — the month
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. firm — a company
  9. kid — child
  10. firm — decided
  11. stock — shares
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. firm — steady
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bound — certain
  16. march — music
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bound — obliged
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. stock — goods
  24. march — the month

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