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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bank — of a river
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. stock — goods
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stock — shares
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bank — for money
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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