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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: race · mouse · band · bay · lean · face · tear · pit

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pit — in a race
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — humankind
  10. lean — thin
  11. band — a ring
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lean — to bend
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — from crying
  18. face — to point toward
  19. race — a contest
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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