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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bank — of a river
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lean — thin
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bank — for money
  9. bass — the fish
  10. hand — help
  11. net — after costs
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a lid
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bass — low music
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. net — for catching
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. net — in sport
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lean — to rest against
  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