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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 120 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 · rest · bank · bat · saw · rock · chair · season

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rest — a break
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bank — of a river
  13. season — in sport
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rock — music
  19. rest — what's left
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rock — to move gently

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