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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. band — a ring
  5. tear — to rip
  6. mine — for digging
  7. bank — for money
  8. tear — from crying
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. band — a music group
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bank — for money
  14. branch — a division
  15. craft — boats
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bear — the animal
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. craft — a skill

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