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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. staff — employees
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fork — in a road
  8. bank — for money
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tear — to rip
  13. kid — child
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. staff — a stick
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wave — with your hand

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