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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pitch — completely
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mug — a face
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — of water
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in biology
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. current — electric
  14. perch — the fish
  15. band — a music group
  16. tear — from crying
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — to rob
  19. current — happening now
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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