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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bank — for money
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a ring
  7. bank — of a river
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. season — of the year
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. season — in sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. band — a music group
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bank — for money
  22. can — a tin
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. hide — to keep secret

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