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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · chair · bore · cell · kick · bank

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. key — in music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kick — in football
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bank — of a river
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bank — for money

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