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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. charge — a price
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. file — a document
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. charge — in control
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bark — to shout
  11. file — a line of people
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. face — to point toward
  15. file — a tool
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. charge — electricity
  18. face — part of the head
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fan — a supporter

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