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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mug — a cup
  5. wax — to grow
  6. face — to confront
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. key — in music
  9. mug — to rob
  10. key — the most important part
  11. hand — in cards
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. hand — help
  14. mug — a face
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tear — to rip
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fork — in a road
  23. face — to point toward
  24. temple — a place of worship

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