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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bound — certain
  7. bass — low music
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bound — obliged
  11. date — the fruit
  12. roll — a cake
  13. drill — army training
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bank — for money
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. roll — a list
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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