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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: tear · club · sharp · race · lean · bank · mine · bowl

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. race — the arms race
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. race — a contest
  5. bank — for money
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bank — of a river
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lean — thin
  15. club — for dancing
  16. bank — for money
  17. club — for golf
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. race — humankind
  24. club — a group

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