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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bank — for money
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — the arms race
  7. staff — employees
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. race — humankind
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. staff — a stick
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bank — of a river
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. cell — in biology
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bank — for money
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — a phone

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