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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 · wind · pitch · mark · drill · tear

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pitch — completely
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bank — for money
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air

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