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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 116 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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. band — a ring
  3. rule — government
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pit — a hole
  6. season — in sport
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. hand — help
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rule — a law
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — of the year
  23. tear — from crying
  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