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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bat — the animal
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bound — certain
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bank — for money
  19. bound — tied together
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — to cut
  24. bat — for baseball

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