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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. can — a tin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. swing — to play on
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tear — from crying
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. can — a tin
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. swing — music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chest — of your body

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