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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — the month
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — of the year
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. land — ground
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bank — for money
  15. net — for catching
  16. wind — moving air
  17. land — a country
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. bank — of a river
  21. land — to come down
  22. stem — to come from
  23. march — music
  24. season — in sport

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