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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 120 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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. field — farmland
  3. bank — for money
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spring — a coil
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — of water
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. tear — from crying
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. field — a subject
  15. spring — the season
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. board — a committee
  18. bank — for money
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. field — for sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tear — to rip

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