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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. race — a contest
  3. tear — from crying
  4. shower — to wash
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. tear — to rip
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. race — humankind
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. band — a ring
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. can — a tin
  18. shower — rain
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. tear — from crying
  21. race — the arms race
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. band — a rubber band

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