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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. band — a ring
  7. suit — to fit
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. suit — clothes
  15. tear — from crying
  16. band — a music group
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. suit — in cards
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bank — of a river

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