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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fall — to drop
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. craft — boats
  7. band — a ring
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bank — of a river
  10. fall — the season
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. kid — to tease
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bank — for money
  20. kid — child
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. ground — a position
  23. band — a music group
  24. fall — to drop

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