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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: sharp · cabinet · roll · tear · bank · wake · pitcher · can

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. can — to be able to
  7. roll — a list
  8. bank — for money
  9. can — a tin
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. can — a tin
  12. bank — for money
  13. wake — a trail
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tear — to rip
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. tear — from crying
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tear — from crying

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