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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bank — for money
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. object — an aim
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pass — a permit
  11. object — to protest
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cap — of ice
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stand — to bear
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — money
  19. object — a thing
  20. bank — for money
  21. branch — a division
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. capital — a city
  24. stand — for spectators

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