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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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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: tear · wake · scale · bank · lean · coach · pitcher · plane

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — for money
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. scale — in music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — size or range
  9. tear — to rip
  10. plane — a tool
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bank — of a river
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. tear — from crying
  16. lean — thin
  17. bank — for money
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wake — a trail
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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