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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. season — of the year
  3. tear — from crying
  4. net — in sport
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bank — for money
  8. season — in sport
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bore — to tire
  11. kick — in football
  12. root — the cause
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. root — of a plant
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. tear — from crying
  18. net — after costs
  19. root — of a word
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bore — to drill
  23. net — for catching
  24. bank — for money

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