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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. march — music
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. march — the month
  7. bank — of a river
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. prune — to trim
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — a stick
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. staff — employees
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — a list
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mine — for digging
  23. prune — to trim
  24. roll — a cake

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