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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: date · cell · mate · saw · dip · pit · bank · lean

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bank — for money
  3. cell — in biology
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pit — a hole
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. dip — to sink
  13. saw — the tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mate — to breed
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bank — for money
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lean — thin
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. mate — a friend
  24. date — the fruit

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