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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 116 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: wave · drill · wound · fall · staff · bank · bay · tear

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. fall — the season
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bank — for money
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. drill — army training
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. fall — to drop
  21. staff — employees
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bank — of a river

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