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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 · pit · stand · cell · tear · fine · race · object

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. object — to protest
  3. pit — in a race
  4. bank — for money
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. tear — to rip
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. cell — a phone
  13. race — a contest
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cell — in biology
  16. object — an aim
  17. race — humankind
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. tear — from crying
  20. object — a thing
  21. bank — for money
  22. pit — a hole
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. bank — of a river

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