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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. face — to point toward
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — part of the head
  6. season — of the year
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. tear — from crying
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. season — in sport
  21. tear — to rip
  22. face — to confront
  23. bass — low music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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