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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spring — a coil
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. season — of the year
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. spell — a short time
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. band — a ring
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spell — magic
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tear — from crying
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. season — in sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. spring — the season
  23. spell — letters
  24. season — to add flavour

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