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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 116 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. tear — to rip
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. last — to go on
  7. bound — obliged
  8. game — a match
  9. last — finally
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fork — in a road
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bank — of a river
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tear — from crying
  18. last — final
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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