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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a ring
  3. tear — from crying
  4. firm — decided
  5. last — finally
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. spring — a coil
  8. cue — a signal
  9. firm — steady
  10. wound — an injury
  11. cue — for pool
  12. spring — the season
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. firm — a company
  15. tear — to rip
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. cue — a hint
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wound — an injury
  21. band — a music group
  22. spring — of water
  23. tear — from crying
  24. temple — side of the head

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