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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 120 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: band · object · bear · content · bank · chest · track · tear

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. object — a thing
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. track — a path
  8. chest — of your body
  9. band — a music group
  10. tear — from crying
  11. object — an aim
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. object — to protest
  14. track — to keep track
  15. content — the amount
  16. band — a ring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bank — of a river
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bear — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. track — a song

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