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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: lean · hand · board · branch · bay · pit · tear · mine

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — help
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. board — to get on
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. board — a committee
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. pit — in a race
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lean — thin
  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