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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. present — the time now
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bank — for money
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hand — in cards
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. present — a gift
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a friend
  17. present — there
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mine — for digging
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bank — of a river
  24. stand — on your feet

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