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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: wake · court · hide · straw · racket · bank · tear · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tear — from crying
  4. court — of law
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. tear — to rip
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wake — a trail
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bank — for money
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. court — of a king
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tear — from crying
  24. court — for sport

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