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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: jam · deal · fork · bank · wound · tear · cap · land

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. cap — of ice
  6. fork — in a road
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. deal — to handle
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — to come down
  12. tear — from crying
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bank — of a river
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bank — for money
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bank — for money
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. deal — an agreement

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