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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. net — after costs
  7. bank — of a river
  8. net — for catching
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bank — for money
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. tear — to rip
  15. band — a ring
  16. net — in sport
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. band — a music group
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. snap — to click

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