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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. cap — a lid
  6. tear — from crying
  7. last — final
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rest — a break
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — a division
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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