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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 120 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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. band — a music group
  6. content — happy
  7. tear — from crying
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. object — a thing
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. object — to protest
  14. band — a ring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. object — an aim
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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