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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bank — for money
  6. content — happy
  7. mine — for digging
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. content — the amount
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. branch — a division
  19. kick — in football
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. bank — of a river

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