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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 120 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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. present — there
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bank — of a river
  5. present — the time now
  6. root — of a word
  7. mug — a cup
  8. present — a gift
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. capital — a city
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. root — of a plant
  14. capital — money
  15. mug — a face
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a match
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bank — for money
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. root — the cause
  24. mug — to rob

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