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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bank — of a river
  6. band — a ring
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. sharp — clever
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — for money
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. band — a music group
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bank — for money
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — a video
  24. clip — to cut

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