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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · band · pop · lean · tear · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. tear — from crying
  4. object — to protest
  5. pop — soda
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pop — to visit
  8. band — a ring
  9. lean — thin
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. band — a music group
  14. race — humankind
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pop — music
  17. object — a thing
  18. lean — to bend

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