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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. staff — employees
  3. wake — a trail
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bank — for money
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. stock — goods
  8. wound — an injury
  9. file — a tool
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bank — for money
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stock — shares
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. file — a document
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. can — to be able to
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. can — a tin

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