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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: bank · mark · game · temple · kid · pop · tear · cue

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pop — soda
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bank — for money
  6. cue — a hint
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bank — of a river
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. cue — a signal
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. kid — to tease
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bank — for money
  19. kid — child
  20. game — a match
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pop — music
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. tear — from crying

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