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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: march · prune · tear · bank · bore · safe · bear · chest

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bank — for money
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. march — music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bear — the animal
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to tire
  11. chest — of your body
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chest — of your body
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bank — for money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bank — of a river
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chest — a box

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