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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mug — to rob
  4. field — farmland
  5. shower — rain
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. tear — to rip
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. field — a subject
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mug — a face
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mug — a cup
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — to grow
  20. field — for sport
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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