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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tear — to rip
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pit — in a race
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. club — for golf
  11. prune — to trim
  12. club — a group
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pit — a hole
  15. squash — the sport
  16. prune — to trim
  17. face — to confront
  18. content — happy
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — for dancing

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