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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — of a river
  3. scale — in music
  4. can — a tin
  5. bank — for money
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bank — for money
  8. saw — the tool
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. saw — the tool
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. can — to be able to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. tear — to rip
  19. can — a tin
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. scale — size or range

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