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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: mine · rest · tear · bulb · swing · cue · bank · fall

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cue — a signal
  4. bank — of a river
  5. mine — for digging
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. swing — to play on
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fall — the season
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bank — for money
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rest — a break
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bank — for money
  18. rest — what's left
  19. swing — music
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cue — for pool

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