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

Word bank: sharp · tear · rule · stick · pass · straw · band · wound

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. band — a music group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pass — a permit
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. band — a ring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pass — to succeed

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