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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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — of law
  4. bank — for money
  5. spring — a coil
  6. can — a tin
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — from crying
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — a break
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — of a king
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bank — of a river
  20. tear — to rip
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bank — for money
  23. spring — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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