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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. shower — rain
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fall — to drop
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bank — for money
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tear — from crying
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. fall — the season

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