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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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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: band · bank · rule · craft · tear · pop · foot · cabinet

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pop — soda
  4. band — a music group
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pop — music
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. tear — to rip
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pop — to visit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. band — a ring
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. rule — government
  17. foot — a measure
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. cabinet — ministers

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