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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 120 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: bear · cap · tear · plane · fan · row · bank · rock

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. bear — the animal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bank — for money
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. row — a line
  12. plane — a tool
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rock — music

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