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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. club — for golf
  3. fine — all right
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. staff — employees
  7. club — a group
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. staff — employees
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stem — to come from
  14. capital — a city
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bank — for money
  21. capital — money
  22. staff — a stick
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. capital — a big letter

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