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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: stand · game · ball · band · season · spring · tear · wake

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — the season
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. ball — a great time
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — a coil
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — in sport
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. band — a ring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. band — a music group
  19. stand — to bear
  20. tear — to rip
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. game — a match
  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