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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fall — the season
  3. bank — for money
  4. chair — a leader
  5. club — for dancing
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — of a river
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. land — ground
  14. stem — to come from
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. club — a group
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. club — for golf
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rock — music

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