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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 124 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. bank — for money
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bank — of a river
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stock — shares
  10. tube — a container
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. tube — the underground
  13. object — an aim
  14. tear — from crying
  15. object — to protest
  16. stock — goods
  17. tear — to rip
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. object — a thing
  22. rock — music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tear — from crying

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