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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. season — in sport
  3. stock — goods
  4. tear — from crying
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. season — of the year
  7. club — for golf
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. degree — temperature
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. tear — to rip
  16. degree — an amount
  17. band — a ring
  18. band — a music group
  19. tear — from crying
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stock — shares
  22. degree — from a university
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. club — a group

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