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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. spring — of water
  4. bass — low music
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tear — to rip
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. last — final
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bass — the fish
  12. spring — the season
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. spell — letters
  15. fine — all right
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — music
  18. last — finally
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. march — the month
  22. fine — high quality
  23. last — to go on
  24. march — the month

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