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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. march — the month
  3. degree — an amount
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bank — for money
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fall — the season
  13. bank — of a river
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. march — music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rest — a break
  22. degree — from a university
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — temperature

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