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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: straw · tear · date · bore · cap · bank · stem · bowl

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stem — to come from
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tear — to rip
  10. date — the fruit
  11. bore — to tire
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bank — for money
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bore — to drill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cap — of ice
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bowl — to roll

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