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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: mine · bank · bulb · bark · wind · hide · staff · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — employees
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — of a river
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. staff — employees
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bulb — for light
  20. staff — a stick
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bank — for money
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bark — of a tree

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