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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: cold · tear · stick · bay · wave · bank · bear · fine

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bank — for money
  3. bear — the animal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — of a river
  13. fine — all right
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — not warm
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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