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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. tube — a container
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. root — the cause
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bank — of a river
  13. bank — for money
  14. bound — certain
  15. tear — from crying
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bound — obliged
  18. band — a music group
  19. pit — a hole
  20. band — a ring
  21. bound — tied together
  22. root — of a word
  23. bank — for money
  24. wake — a trail

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