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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tear — from crying
  3. drill — the tool
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. tear — to rip
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — a box
  11. drill — army training
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spring — the season
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bank — of a river
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. rule — government
  21. drill — a practice
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bank — for money
  24. rule — a law

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