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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. craft — boats
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lean — thin
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lean — to bend
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. band — a ring
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. race — humankind
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. band — a music group
  23. race — a contest
  24. tear — from crying

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