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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  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 — of a river
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. tube — the underground
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. tube — a container
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. spring — the season
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. drill — army training
  18. bank — for money
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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