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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rest — what's left
  3. tear — from crying
  4. current — of water
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. last — finally
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. prune — to trim
  14. band — a music group
  15. rest — what's left
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. tear — from crying
  20. last — final
  21. current — happening now
  22. tear — to rip
  23. band — a ring
  24. current — electric

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