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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wake — a trail
  4. band — a music group
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. season — in sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hand — help
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. band — a ring
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. plane — a tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. tear — to rip
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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