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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 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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mate — a friend
  5. face — to confront
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — farmland
  8. can — a tin
  9. field — for sport
  10. band — a music group
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mate — a partner
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mate — to breed
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — a hint
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. tear — to rip
  20. can — to be able to
  21. face — part of the head
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. field — a subject

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