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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 116 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: tear · wave · bear · hand · pitcher · bank · racket · capital

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. tear — from crying
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. capital — a city
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — money
  10. hand — help
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bank — for money
  14. tear — from crying
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bank — for money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. racket — for tennis

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