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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lean — to bend
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bank — for money
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. lean — thin
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. branch — a division
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hand — help
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bank — of a river
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pit — in a race
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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