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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 124 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: band · wind · wake · ball · mine · tear · lash · stand

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. band — a ring
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. mine — for digging
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. band — a music group
  15. ball — a great time
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. wake — a trail
  18. stand — to bear
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tear — to rip
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wake — before a funeral

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