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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bank — for money
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. cue — a hint
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a ring
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bank — of a river

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