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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: bowl · toast · can · branch · bank · bound · tear · cold

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bank — for money
  6. can — to be able to
  7. can — a tin
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. tear — to rip
  14. toast — bread
  15. branch — a division
  16. bound — certain
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cold — an illness
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bank — for money
  24. bound — tied together

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