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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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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: game · band · fall · tear · wound · object · bay · snap

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fall — the season
  6. object — to protest
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. tear — from crying
  9. band — a ring
  10. wound — an injury
  11. object — a thing
  12. tear — to rip
  13. band — a music group
  14. wound — an injury
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tear — from crying
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. fall — to drop
  24. game — a match

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