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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. object — to protest
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. tear — from crying
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wind — moving air
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — an aim
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — wild animals
  17. present — there
  18. bank — for money
  19. bass — the fish
  20. branch — a division
  21. bass — low music
  22. present — the time now
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wind — moving air

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