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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · can · tear · fork · bank · stick

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. can — a tin
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. bank — for money
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bank — of a river
  13. tear — from crying
  14. can — a tin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fork — in a road
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fork — to eat with

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