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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bank — for money
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bank — for money
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pit — a hole
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. swing — music
  11. face — to confront
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wake — a trail
  16. swing — in golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bank — of a river
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. face — part of the head

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