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

Word bank: fall · cell · stick · chair · mine · racket · bank · pitcher

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fall — the season
  6. mine — for digging
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bank — for money
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cell — a phone
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bank — for money
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bank — of a river
  24. chair — a leader

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