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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 120 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — to protest
  5. cap — of ice
  6. object — an aim
  7. tube — a container
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. tube — the underground
  10. band — a ring
  11. object — a thing
  12. cap — a hat
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cap — a lid
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a music group
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. tear — from crying

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