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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 120 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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chest — a box
  4. bank — for money
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bank — of a river
  13. net — after costs
  14. bank — for money
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fall — the season
  24. band — a ring

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