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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: tube · tear · cue · mine · band · bank · bear · cap

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cue — for pool
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cap — a lid
  9. band — a music group
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cue — a signal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — for digging
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. tear — from crying
  24. band — a ring

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