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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: bank · march · fork · tear · hide · stand

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bank — for money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. march — the month
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — in a road
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — music
  18. tear — to rip

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