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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · bank · tear · chair · key · lie · tube · current

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. current — electric
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. season — in sport
  6. current — happening now
  7. bank — for money
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. season — of the year
  12. lie — to recline
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. key — in music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bank — for money
  18. tube — a container
  19. current — of water
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bank — of a river
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tear — to rip

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