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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. face — to point toward
  7. content — the amount
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bank — for money
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bank — for money
  17. rest — a break
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tear — to rip
  20. pass — a permit
  21. content — happy
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tear — from crying

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