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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: pitcher · fall · tear · season · kid · bank · rock · lash

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — to rip
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. tear — from crying
  11. season — in sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. kid — child
  15. bank — for money
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rock — music
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. season — of the year

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