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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bank — for money
  3. can — to be able to
  4. scale — size or range
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. scale — in music
  9. foot — a measure
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bank — for money
  16. stock — goods
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. hand — help
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. stock — shares
  23. bank — of a river
  24. leaves — lets stay

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