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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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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: cue · capital · band · bank · lean · pitcher · pit · chair

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pit — in a race
  7. band — a music group
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cue — for pool
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lean — thin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. band — a ring
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pit — a hole
  23. capital — a city
  24. bank — of a river

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