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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  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. land — to come down
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. degree — temperature
  4. present — there
  5. land — a country
  6. band — a music group
  7. present — a gift
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. present — the time now
  10. degree — from a university
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. land — ground
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a line
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. band — a ring
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. row — to paddle
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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