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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. key — for a lock
  8. season — of the year
  9. key — the most important part
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chair — a leader
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mug — to rob
  16. season — in sport
  17. bank — for money
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. key — in music
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bank — of a river
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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