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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: lean · cap · arm · bank · rest · bowl · tear · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. tear — from crying
  3. season — in sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. tear — to rip
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. rest — a break
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. season — of the year
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bank — for money
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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