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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: cold · cap · cell · stock · saw · fork · racket · bank

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bank — of a river
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. bank — for money
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cap — a lid
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — shares
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cold — an illness
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cell — a phone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. stock — goods
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cold — the Cold War

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