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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. face — to point toward
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kick — in football
  14. tear — to rip
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. face — to confront
  17. tube — a container
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. perch — the fish
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tube — in a tire

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