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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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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: bark · bank · nail · tear · pop · bear · rush · last

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bank — for money
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bear — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bank — for money
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pop — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bank — of a river
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pop — soda

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