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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. suit — in cards
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. face — to confront
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. suit — to fit
  15. band — a ring
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. suit — clothes
  20. tear — from crying
  21. band — a music group
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. squash — the sport
  24. face — to point toward

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