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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tear — to rip
  3. fine — high quality
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. lie — to recline
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. drill — army training
  9. band — a music group
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. club — for golf
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — for sport
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — a group
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wave — with your hand

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