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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. march — the month
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bound — tied together
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. march — the month
  15. prune — to trim
  16. present — a gift
  17. bound — certain
  18. spell — letters
  19. present — there
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — music
  23. present — the time now
  24. cabinet — ministers

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