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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. present — a gift
  12. wake — a trail
  13. present — there
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. band — a ring
  17. present — the time now
  18. cabinet — ministers

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