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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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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: bank · spell · court · bay · wake · pop · snap · tear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — from crying
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. court — for sport
  11. pop — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pop — soda
  16. tear — to rip
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. spell — letters
  19. court — of a king
  20. snap — to click
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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