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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: stem · clip · bank · march · hide · tear · ball · bound

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. ball — a dance
  4. march — the month
  5. bank — for money
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tear — to rip
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bank — of a river
  11. march — the month
  12. clip — a video
  13. bound — certain
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bank — for money
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. ball — a great time
  20. march — music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — tied together
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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