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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tear — from crying
  3. band — a music group
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. band — a ring
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fan — a supporter

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