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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. band — a ring
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lean — thin
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mate — to breed
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. land — to come down
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. tear — from crying
  11. date — the fruit
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mate — a partner
  14. tube — the underground
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. land — ground
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. band — a music group
  21. mate — a friend
  22. tube — a container
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — a country

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