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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — farmland
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cap — of ice
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bank — of a river
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. field — a subject
  19. bank — for money
  20. field — for sport
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lie — an untruth

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