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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: stock · face · saw · game · bank · bat · tear · drill

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bat — the animal
  4. game — a match
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stock — goods
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. face — to confront
  10. drill — a practice
  11. face — part of the head
  12. drill — the tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bank — for money
  19. drill — army training
  20. bank — for money
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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