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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. roll — a list
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. band — a music group
  6. bulb — for light
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. drill — army training
  12. key — in music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. drill — a practice
  15. key — the most important part
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — in golf
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bulb — for light
  22. swing — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stand — to bear

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