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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. march — music
  3. ground — a position
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — letters
  9. bank — for money
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. ground — crushed
  12. club — a group
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. march — the month
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. march — the month
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. club — for golf
  22. spell — magic
  23. ground — the earth
  24. tear — to rip

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