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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 120 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. band — a music group
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. band — a ring
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — the tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tear — from crying
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. deal — to handle
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wake — a trail
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. rest — a break
  23. spring — the season
  24. racket — a loud noise

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