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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: bound · tear · squash · stem · pitcher · rest · bank · sharp

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bound — certain
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. tear — to rip
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bank — for money
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stem — to come from
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bound — tied together
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rest — a break

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