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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: tear · fan · temple · bank · race · pop · squash · march

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. march — the month
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. race — humankind
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. march — music
  10. bank — for money
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pop — to visit
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. march — the month
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — of a river
  21. bank — for money
  22. race — a contest
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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