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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: stand · wake · band · bank · season · tear · rest · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. tear — from crying
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stand — to bear
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wake — a trail
  7. tear — to rip
  8. band — a music group
  9. band — a ring
  10. rest — a break
  11. season — of the year
  12. bank — for money
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bank — for money
  19. season — in sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bank — of a river
  24. tear — from crying

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