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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — music
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. swing — to play on
  7. spring — a coil
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. last — to go on
  12. spring — the season
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kick — in football
  15. band — a music group
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. date — the fruit
  19. spring — of water
  20. band — a ring
  21. last — finally
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. last — final
  24. leaves — to go away

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