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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: stand · rest · cap · bore · row · band · sharp · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cap — of ice
  3. band — a ring
  4. row — a line
  5. sharp — clever
  6. rest — a break
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stand — to bear
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. rest — what's left
  14. band — a music group
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bore — to drill
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. row — to paddle
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bore — to tire
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — a hat
  24. band — a rubber band

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