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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 · wound · swing · lean · wake · spell · deal · tear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. bank — of a river
  3. tear — from crying
  4. swing — music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. lean — thin
  10. swing — to play on
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. deal — to handle
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bank — for money
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spell — magic
  21. swing — in golf
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — letters

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