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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pit — a hole
  3. march — music
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stem — to come from
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. pit — in a race
  8. march — the month
  9. bank — of a river
  10. mark — a trace
  11. file — a document
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bank — for money
  17. mark — a grade
  18. march — the month
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a tool
  24. stem — a stem cell

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