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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bank — of a river
  4. tear — from crying
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rock — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. land — to come down
  11. last — finally
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. land — ground
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. last — to go on
  17. chest — of your body
  18. tear — from crying
  19. last — final
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. land — a country
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bank — for money

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