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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. face — to point toward
  6. file — a line of people
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bank — of a river
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. snap — to click
  18. branch — a division
  19. tear — to rip
  20. file — a tool
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. file — a document
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bass — the fish

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