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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. bark — to shout
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ball — a great time
  10. drill — a practice
  11. band — a music group
  12. wind — moving air
  13. drill — the tool
  14. band — a ring
  15. wind — moving air
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rest — a break
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. drill — army training
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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