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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. tear — to rip
  3. foot — a measure
  4. lie — to recline
  5. band — a ring
  6. squash — to crush
  7. clip — for paper
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. tear — from crying
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. can — a tin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. squash — the sport
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. band — a music group
  17. can — to be able to
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. rash — hasty
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. can — a tin

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