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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. key — in music
  11. bulb — for light
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bound — certain
  15. key — for a lock
  16. ground — a position
  17. pop — to visit
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — obliged
  20. key — the most important part
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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