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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: tear · bank · ruler · game · scale · straw · chip · bear

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  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. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. game — a match
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bank — for money
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — in music
  23. tear — to rip
  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