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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cold — not warm
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pass — a permit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pit — a hole
  10. land — ground
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. scale — in music
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. cold — an illness

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