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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: deal · clip · tear · pass · bank · bowl · cold · craft

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. clip — for paper
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bank — of a river
  10. clip — a video
  11. bank — for money
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bank — for money
  24. craft — a skill

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