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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — for money
  3. cap — a lid
  4. cap — of ice
  5. field — a subject
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bass — low music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. field — for sport
  12. tear — from crying
  13. field — farmland
  14. last — final
  15. firm — steady
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. last — finally
  18. firm — decided
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bank — for money
  23. firm — a company
  24. last — to go on

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