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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mark — a grade
  9. band — a ring
  10. tear — from crying
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rash — a series
  15. last — to go on
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mark — a trace
  18. band — a music group
  19. rash — hasty
  20. drill — a practice
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. drill — army training
  23. last — final
  24. drill — the tool

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