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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 are growing on this ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — farmland
  3. file — a line of people
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fall — to drop
  6. file — a tool
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. field — a subject
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. chair — a leader
  17. fall — the season
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. field — for sport
  23. file — a document
  24. plane — a tool

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