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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. suit — clothes
  5. clip — to cut
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. branch — a division
  9. band — a ring
  10. rock — a stone
  11. deal — to handle
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — finally
  14. rock — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. last — final
  19. last — to go on
  20. suit — to fit
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. clip — for paper
  23. suit — in cards
  24. clip — a video

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