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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 120 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. field — farmland
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — of a river
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. cap — a lid
  13. drill — the tool
  14. field — a subject
  15. tear — to rip
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. drill — army training
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bank — for money
  22. cap — a hat
  23. tear — from crying
  24. field — for sport

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