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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tear — from crying
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. race — humankind
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. capital — money
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. race — a contest
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bank — for money
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bank — of a river
  21. kick — in football
  22. race — the arms race
  23. tear — to rip
  24. capital — a city

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