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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.

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: cold · stand · pitcher · bank · saw · bass · kid · trunk

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bank — for money
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cold — not warm
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bass — low music
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stand — to bear
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cold — an illness

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