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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. file — a tool
  6. tear — from crying
  7. face — part of the head
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spell — a short time
  10. land — ground
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. suit — in cards
  16. file — a document
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — a country
  19. tear — to rip
  20. face — to confront
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a line of people

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