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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bank — for money
  4. cap — of ice
  5. present — there
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. present — a gift
  8. kid — child
  9. staff — employees
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cap — a hat
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. present — the time now
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. file — a line of people

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