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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: object · branch · ground · patient · cold · bank · firm · tear

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. object — an aim
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. tear — to rip
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. object — a thing
  11. firm — steady
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bank — of a river
  18. firm — a company
  19. tear — from crying
  20. object — to protest
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. firm — decided
  24. patient — a sick person

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