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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. land — ground
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bank — for money
  7. can — to be able to
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. land — a country
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cold — an illness
  14. land — to come down
  15. bank — of a river
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. can — a tin
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bank — for money
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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