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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: bank · land · row · wave · tear · trunk · pass · toast

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bank — for money
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. tear — to rip
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bank — for money
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. toast — bread
  22. row — a line
  23. row — to paddle
  24. land — a country

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