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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bound — tied together
  5. fall — the season
  6. bound — obliged
  7. race — the arms race
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fall — to drop
  10. chair — a leader
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. race — humankind
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. court — of law
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — certain
  17. bank — for money
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. court — of a king
  22. race — a contest
  23. court — for sport
  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