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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — for money
  3. key — the most important part
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bank — of a river
  8. game — wild animals
  9. net — for catching
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tube — a container
  12. key — in music
  13. key — for a lock
  14. tear — from crying
  15. branch — a division
  16. net — after costs
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. tear — to rip
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. net — in sport

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