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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cue — a signal
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. spell — magic
  10. craft — a skill
  11. cue — for pool
  12. band — a music group
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wake — a trail
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. spell — a short time
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — a safe
  19. spell — letters
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. tear — to rip
  23. face — to point toward
  24. craft — boats

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