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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: tear · lie · net · fan · bank · wake · row · trunk

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bank — for money
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. lie — to recline
  11. net — for catching
  12. bank — for money
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bank — of a river
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. row — a quarrel

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