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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bank — for money
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — after costs
  10. dip — to sink
  11. present — there
  12. capital — money
  13. bank — for money
  14. kick — in football
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bank — of a river
  20. present — a gift
  21. tear — to rip
  22. capital — a city
  23. net — for catching
  24. tear — from crying

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