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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. craft — boats
  6. fall — the season
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — a tin
  9. tear — to rip
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — the cause
  14. court — of a king
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a music group
  18. fall — to drop
  19. can — to be able to
  20. stand — to bear
  21. craft — a skill
  22. can — a tin
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. root — of a word

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