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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — a tin
  9. content — happy
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. content — the amount
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. can — a tin
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. snap — to click
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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