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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 124 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. lean — thin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. field — for sport
  11. root — of a plant
  12. present — the time now
  13. bank — for money
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. root — of a word
  17. present — there
  18. field — a subject
  19. pitch — completely
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bank — of a river
  22. field — farmland
  23. present — a gift
  24. sharp — clever

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