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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tear — from crying
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. band — a ring
  5. tear — to rip
  6. last — to go on
  7. board — to get on
  8. object — to protest
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. last — finally
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rule — government
  14. object — an aim
  15. last — final
  16. object — a thing
  17. board — a committee
  18. lean — thin
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rule — a law
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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