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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. bank — for money
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — in biology
  14. file — a line of people
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. file — a document
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a tool
  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