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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bank — for money
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bank — for money
  15. mine — for digging
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. tear — from crying

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