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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. face — to point toward
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. face — to confront
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bank — of a river
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. tear — from crying
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — part of the head
  13. capital — a city
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. capital — money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. board — to get on
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. saw — the tool
  24. tear — from crying

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