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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bank — for money
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. march — music
  11. cap — of ice
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. march — the month
  18. fine — all right
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tear — from crying

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