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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: rest · band · deal · tear · pitch · hide · spring · bay

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. tear — to rip
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. band — a music group
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. spring — of water
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spring — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. deal — to handle
  18. spring — a coil
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. band — a ring
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pitch — completely

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