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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lean — thin
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lean — to bend
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. face — to point toward
  12. swing — in golf
  13. bore — to drill
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cap — a lid
  18. swing — music
  19. tear — to rip
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bore — to tire
  23. face — to confront
  24. cap — of ice

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