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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: chair · craft · pitcher · bank · hide · pass · land · mine

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. land — to come down
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. chair — a leader
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. land — ground
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. craft — boats
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bank — for money
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bank — of a river
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. land — a country

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