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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pound — a weight
  3. clip — to cut
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. face — to confront
  6. clip — for paper
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. foot — a measure
  11. current — happening now
  12. clip — a video
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. current — electric
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tear — to rip
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. current — of water

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