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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — a lid
  4. can — to be able to
  5. snap — to click
  6. bank — for money
  7. cap — a hat
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. race — humankind
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. sharp — clever
  13. race — a contest
  14. bank — of a river
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rock — a stone
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — of ice
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. can — a tin
  23. rock — music
  24. race — the arms race

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