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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: racket · safe · roll · bank · nail · bass · tear · cold

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bass — the fish
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bank — for money
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bank — for money
  10. bass — low music
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bank — of a river
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cold — an illness
  15. roll — a list
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. tear — to rip
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. cold — the Cold War

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