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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a ring
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. firm — decided
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tear — to rip
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bound — obliged
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — a company
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a music group
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bound — certain

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