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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. face — part of the head
  6. key — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. season — of the year
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to point toward
  11. tear — to rip
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. craft — a skill
  17. band — a music group
  18. craft — boats
  19. key — for a lock
  20. season — in sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. perch — the fish
  23. key — the most important part
  24. dip — to dunk

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