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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 116 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bear — the animal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bank — for money
  7. file — a tool
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bank — for money
  19. file — a document
  20. perch — the fish
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. branch — a division
  24. pass — to spend time

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