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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: bear · spring · rock · season · cap · bank · tear · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bank — for money
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rock — music
  6. spring — the season
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bank — for money
  9. cold — not warm
  10. tear — from crying
  11. season — in sport
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spring — of water
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rock — a stone
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cap — a lid

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