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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. field — for sport
  6. craft — a skill
  7. stand — to bear
  8. dip — to sink
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. shower — rain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. shower — to wash
  14. prune — to trim
  15. tear — to rip
  16. craft — boats
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bank — for money
  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