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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. game — wild animals
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. wake — a trail
  9. tear — from crying
  10. game — a match
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bank — of a river
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bank — for money
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. hand — help
  21. firm — a company
  22. hand — in cards
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bank — for money

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