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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: hand · tear · bulb · pass · field · leaves · stick · bank

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. field — farmland
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bank — for money
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — a subject
  12. bank — for money
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — of a river
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. pass — a permit
  24. bulb — for light

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