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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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468
Word bank
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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: lie · cold · leaves · spring · bank · craft · land · arm

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. spring — of water
  4. land — ground
  5. bank — for money
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. cold — not warm
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bank — of a river
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lie — to recline
  14. spring — a coil
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spring — the season
  18. land — a country
  19. cold — an illness
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. land — to come down
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. leaves — lets stay

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