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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — of law
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — of water
  6. court — for sport
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — of a king
  10. mug — to rob
  11. file — a line of people
  12. object — to protest
  13. mug — a face
  14. spring — a coil
  15. object — a thing
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. face — to confront
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a tool
  22. object — an aim
  23. wind — moving air
  24. face — part of the head

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