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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tear — to rip
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bank — for money
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bear — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bark — to shout
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bank — for money
  20. cold — not warm
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cold — an illness
  24. key — for a lock

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