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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 116 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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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 ring
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — of law
  4. bank — for money
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bank — of a river
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — for money
  15. court — of a king
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. spring — a coil
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. band — a music group
  22. spring — of water
  23. court — for sport
  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