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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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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: leaves · squash · tear · wound · band · pass · bay · present

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. present — a gift
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. present — there
  11. wound — an injury
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. tear — from crying
  15. band — a ring
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pass — a permit
  18. present — the time now
  19. band — a music group
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. tear — to rip
  24. squash — the sport

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