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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bank — for money
  5. march — the month
  6. tear — from crying
  7. content — happy
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. tear — to rip
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. march — music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — the amount

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