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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mine — for digging
  3. band — a music group
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rush — hurry
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. band — a ring

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