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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: bank · date · mine · march · perch · land · leaves · chest

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. land — to come down
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bank — for money
  10. land — a country
  11. date — the fruit
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. perch — the fish
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bank — of a river
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. march — the month
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. march — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. land — ground

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