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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.

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: band · staff · pass · land · tear · pit · object · spring

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tear — from crying
  3. object — an aim
  4. band — a music group
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — a hole
  9. land — a country
  10. object — to protest
  11. band — a ring
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spring — of water
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pit — in a race
  18. land — to come down
  19. pass — a permit
  20. staff — employees
  21. tear — to rip
  22. object — a thing
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. spring — the season

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