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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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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: chair · bear · tube · bank · cap · lie · racket · present

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. present — the time now
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cap — a lid
  5. tube — a container
  6. present — a gift
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. present — there
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chair — a leader
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bank — for money
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cap — a hat
  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