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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. drill — the tool
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. drill — army training
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — high quality
  9. drill — a practice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bound — obliged
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cap — a lid
  14. shower — rain
  15. bound — certain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bound — tied together
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a ring
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. band — a music group
  22. bear — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cap — of ice

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