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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: squash · key · tear · bank · wake · capital · spring · straw

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. spring — the season
  3. bank — of a river
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. capital — a city
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — in music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bank — for money
  12. capital — money
  13. tear — from crying
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. squash — to crush
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bank — for money
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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