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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cap — of ice
  5. tear — to rip
  6. row — a line
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. tear — from crying
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. band — a ring
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cap — a hat
  15. tear — from crying
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. hide — to keep secret

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