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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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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: leaves · tear · band · row · mate · face · land · season

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tear — to rip
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. row — to paddle
  6. land — a country
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. mate — a partner
  9. band — a music group
  10. land — ground
  11. row — a line
  12. season — in sport
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — of the year
  16. band — a ring
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. face — to point toward
  19. land — to come down
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tear — from crying
  24. face — to confront

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