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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mark — a trace
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. object — a thing
  13. mark — a grade
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. prune — to trim
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bank — of a river
  20. tear — from crying
  21. object — an aim
  22. shower — rain
  23. bank — for money
  24. object — to protest

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