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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 116 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. march — the month
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — in cards
  8. capital — money
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bank — for money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. march — music
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — help
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bank — for money
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. tube — the underground
  20. capital — a city
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — thin

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