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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 · fork · pop · safe · tear · kid · hand · file

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bank — for money
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. file — a document
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kid — child
  11. pop — soda
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. pop — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hand — help
  21. kid — to tease
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — in cards
  24. tear — to rip

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