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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tube — a container
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rest — a break
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. band — a ring
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. band — a music group
  17. tube — the underground
  18. drill — army training
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. craft — boats
  24. drill — the tool

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