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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bank — for money
  7. tear — from crying
  8. row — a line
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cell — in biology
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mark — a trace
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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