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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. kid — to tease
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tear — from crying
  5. swing — in golf
  6. rash — a series
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. kid — child
  9. object — a thing
  10. swing — to play on
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — for a lock
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. swing — music
  16. band — a music group
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. object — to protest
  19. foot — a measure
  20. band — a ring
  21. key — the most important part
  22. key — in music
  23. rash — hasty
  24. object — an aim

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