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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. tear — from crying
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. drill — army training
  6. deal — to handle
  7. band — a ring
  8. bound — certain
  9. band — a music group
  10. fine — all right
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. drill — a practice
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bound — tied together
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bound — obliged
  23. fine — a penalty
  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