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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. band — a music group
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tear — from crying
  8. firm — decided
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. band — a ring
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tear — to rip
  19. firm — a company
  20. stand — to bear
  21. firm — steady
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rush — hurry
  24. stand — on your feet

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