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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 116 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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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: stand · bank · perch · tear · race · sharp · fall · wave

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fall — to drop
  6. stand — to bear
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tear — to rip
  13. race — a contest
  14. bank — of a river
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tear — from crying
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — the season
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bank — for money

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