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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: bank · stem · wake · kid · can · cabinet · lie · toast

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lie — to recline
  3. toast — bread
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bank — for money
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bank — of a river
  12. kid — child
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wake — a trail
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bank — for money
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. lie — an untruth

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