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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: spring · coach · tear · rush · band · wave · sharp · lie

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. band — a music group
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. rush — hurry
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. band — a ring
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spring — the season
  16. lie — to recline
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. coach — a trainer
  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