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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: bear · mate · cold · sharp · bank · bulb · chair · roll

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mate — to breed
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bank — for money
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — the animal
  17. roll — a list
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bank — for money
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bulb — of a plant

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