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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: date · mug · ball · bank · rash · tear · trunk · pop

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mug — a face
  6. bank — for money
  7. mug — to rob
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mug — a cup
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pop — soda
  18. ball — a dance
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bank — for money
  22. rash — a series
  23. pop — music
  24. date — the fruit

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