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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: season · fall · band · bear · hand · track · race · deal

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. hand — help
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. band — a ring
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. race — the arms race
  9. track — to keep track
  10. race — humankind
  11. track — a song
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. track — a path
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. hand — in cards
  23. race — a contest
  24. bear — the animal

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