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

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. band — a music group
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a ring
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — hurry
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. tear — to rip
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. tear — from crying

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