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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. staff — employees
  3. bank — for money
  4. staff — a stick
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bank — of a river
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. season — in sport
  12. land — a country
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. land — ground
  15. row — a line
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — to come down
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. snap — to click
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bank — for money
  24. row — to paddle

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