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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. band — a music group
  5. net — in sport
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cold — an illness
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. mark — a trace
  11. present — the time now
  12. band — a ring
  13. net — after costs
  14. track — to keep track
  15. net — for catching
  16. fall — the season
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bank — of a river
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — for money

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