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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — humankind
  5. clip — to cut
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tear — from crying
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. race — the arms race
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — to rip
  14. clip — a video
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. clip — for paper
  18. temple — side of the head

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