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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: tear · march · drill · bay · lie · fan · bank · dip

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bank — for money
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — army training
  6. march — the month
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. tear — to rip
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. drill — the tool
  12. dip — to sink
  13. march — music
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bank — of a river
  21. drill — a practice
  22. tear — from crying
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — a sauce

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