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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. shower — to wash
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. branch — a division
  12. bound — certain
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. net — for catching
  15. tear — from crying
  16. net — in sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. net — after costs
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bound — obliged
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bound — tied together
  24. firm — steady

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