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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: tear · field · rash · craft · press · band · pass · staff

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — a publisher
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. press — newspapers
  7. staff — a stick
  8. field — for sport
  9. craft — a skill
  10. field — farmland
  11. band — a music group
  12. pass — a permit
  13. press — to push
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. field — a subject
  19. band — a ring
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — boats
  22. rash — hasty
  23. staff — employees
  24. craft — a handicraft

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