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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. march — music
  3. race — humankind
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bank — for money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bank — of a river
  15. land — a country
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. land — to come down
  18. march — the month
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a line
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — a contest
  24. row — to paddle

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