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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. suit — to fit
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wound — an injury
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. suit — clothes
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pop — soda
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pop — to visit
  16. suit — in cards
  17. degree — temperature
  18. foot — a measure
  19. degree — an amount
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — from a university
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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