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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 120 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: stick · bore · can · mate · pit · chair · spring · bank

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. spring — of water
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bank — of a river
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bank — for money
  13. chair — a leader
  14. pit — a hole
  15. spring — a coil
  16. can — a tin
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — to breed
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. spring — the season
  23. bank — for money
  24. can — a tin

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