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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 124 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  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. snap — to click
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mate — to breed
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  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