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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cold — not warm
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bank — for money
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mine — belonging to me

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