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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: mine · lash · hide · bank · chair · net · stem · saw

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bank — of a river
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bank — for money
  10. net — for catching
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bank — for money
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. net — after costs
  16. chair — a leader
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. net — in sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. chair — to sit on

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