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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: mark · last · wave · band · spell · tear · court · bound

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. spell — a short time
  4. band — a ring
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. court — of a king
  7. last — final
  8. bound — obliged
  9. last — to go on
  10. tear — from crying
  11. court — for sport
  12. last — finally
  13. spell — letters
  14. court — of law
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bound — tied together
  18. spell — magic
  19. mark — a trace
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. band — a music group
  22. bound — certain
  23. mark — a grade
  24. tear — from crying

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