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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bound — tied together
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bound — certain
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bank — for money
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cap — of ice
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cap — a lid
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — of a tree

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