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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 116 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 · club · patient · lean · object · bank · cell · rash

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — to rip
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. lean — thin
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. object — an aim
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — hasty
  17. tear — from crying
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. object — to protest
  20. club — for dancing
  21. object — a thing
  22. cell — a phone
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rash — on the skin

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