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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. dip — to sink
  3. band — a ring
  4. spring — of water
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spring — the season
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. band — a music group
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. spring — a coil
  22. last — to go on
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. last — finally

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