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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. kid — to tease
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bank — of a river
  6. tear — to rip
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wake — a trail
  9. kid — child
  10. clip — a video
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. clip — for paper
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bank — for money
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bank — for money
  24. jam — a tight spot

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