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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 120 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: tear · hide · tube · bank · bay · capital

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tear — from crying
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bank — for money
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tear — from crying
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bank — for money
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tube — a container
  18. bay — a part of the sea

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