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

Word bank: rest · tear · rule · lean · leaves · band

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. rule — a law
  5. tear — to rip
  6. band — a music group
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. rest — what's left
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rest — a break
  11. lean — to bend
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rest — what's left
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. lean — thin
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. band — a ring

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