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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 · patient · fan · prune · bank · jam · ground · row

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. bank — for money
  3. ground — the earth
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. ground — crushed
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. prune — to trim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. bank — of a river
  12. row — to paddle
  13. tear — from crying
  14. prune — to trim
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. ground — a position
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bank — for money
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. fan — to cool the air

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