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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pop — soda
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tear — to rip
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. pop — music
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bank — of a river

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