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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cold — not warm
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. can — to be able to
  9. present — the time now
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. present — there
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. can — a tin
  17. present — a gift
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. face — part of the head
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. cold — an illness

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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