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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. bank — for money
  2. cap — a lid
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cap — of ice
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — a series
  12. bank — of a river
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. saw — the tool
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. saw — the tool
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — a division
  23. bank — for money
  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