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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bass — low music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bank — of a river
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mine — for digging
  11. branch — a division
  12. pit — in a race
  13. capital — a city
  14. tube — a container
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bank — for money
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. kick — in football
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — money
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pit — a hole
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. branch — of a bank

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