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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pop — music
  5. net — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — after costs
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cue — for pool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cue — a signal
  16. face — to confront
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pop — soda
  22. net — for catching
  23. tear — from crying
  24. branch — a division

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