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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tube — a container
  4. face — to point toward
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. field — for sport
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. face — to confront
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. field — a subject
  24. ruler — for measuring

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