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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. tube — a container
  3. lean — to bend
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. lean — thin
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bank — for money
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — to rip
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bank — of a river
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bank — for money
  24. march — the month

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