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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. band — a ring
  5. bank — for money
  6. fall — to drop
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fall — to drop
  9. band — a music group
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bank — for money
  13. tear — from crying
  14. fall — the season
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bat — the animal
  20. kid — child
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chair — a leader

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