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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bulb — for light
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bulb — for light
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. lean — thin
  11. bank — for money
  12. pop — to visit
  13. lean — to bend
  14. bank — of a river
  15. pop — music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — to wash
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pop — soda
  21. ball — a dance
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. shower — rain
  24. tear — from crying

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