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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — for money
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bank — of a river
  5. tear — to rip
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spell — a short time
  8. prune — to trim
  9. spell — magic
  10. cue — for pool
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. content — happy
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. spell — letters
  19. content — the amount
  20. bank — for money
  21. cue — a signal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — to push
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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