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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — of a river
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bank — for money
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — a stone
  8. hand — help
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tear — from crying
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rock — music
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. face — to confront
  16. hand — in cards
  17. key — in music
  18. key — the most important part
  19. tear — to rip
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — a group
  22. face — to point toward
  23. club — for golf
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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