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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bank — for money
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. kid — child
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chair — a leader
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pitcher — a jug

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