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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — of a river
  5. land — ground
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. land — to come down
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hand — help
  11. season — in sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. land — a country
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stand — to bear
  22. tube — a container
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. saw — the 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