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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: tear · foot · bank · march · key · nail · stick · content

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. march — the month
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — happy
  5. bank — for money
  6. tear — from crying
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. march — the month
  9. tear — from crying
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — music
  12. content — the amount
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. bank — for money
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. foot — a measure
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. key — for a lock
  20. tear — to rip
  21. key — in music
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bank — of a river
  24. key — the most important part

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