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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: snap · bear · ball · can · dip · tear · date · bank

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. ball — a great time
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bank — of a river
  10. date — the fruit
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. snap — to click
  14. bear — the animal
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bank — for money
  17. bear — the animal
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. tear — from crying
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bank — for money
  23. can — a tin
  24. ball — a dance

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