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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. spring — the season
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cell — a phone
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. chip — to eat
  13. band — a music group
  14. spring — of water
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. stand — to bear
  17. firm — a company
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fine — all right
  20. firm — steady
  21. chip — for betting
  22. firm — decided
  23. band — a ring
  24. tear — to rip

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