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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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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: club · deal · pitcher · bank · lie · stand · chair · can

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bank — for money
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. lie — to recline
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — for golf
  18. chair — a leader
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. can — a tin
  24. lie — an untruth

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