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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 · chair · bay · content · lash · bound · bank · trunk

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bound — obliged
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. content — happy
  10. bound — certain
  11. chair — a leader
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. content — the amount
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bank — for money
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. tear — to rip

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