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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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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: wax · tear · roll · bulb · date · bank · net · bound

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — of a river
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bound — certain
  5. net — after costs
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — in sport
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bound — tied together
  14. net — for catching
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bank — for money
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. tear — to rip
  20. roll — a list
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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