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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. saw — the tool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pit — in a race
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. clip — a video
  14. pit — a hole
  15. saw — the tool
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bank — for money
  19. stock — goods
  20. bank — for money
  21. cell — a phone
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stand — on your feet

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