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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: rock · content · stem · wind · tear · bank · bore · kick

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bank — of a river
  13. content — happy
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bore — to tire
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. kick — in football
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rock — a stone
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — the amount

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