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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tear — from crying
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. firm — decided
  6. lean — to bend
  7. spring — of water
  8. face — to point toward
  9. firm — a company
  10. face — to confront
  11. spring — a coil
  12. degree — from a university
  13. can — a tin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lean — thin
  17. firm — steady
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tear — to rip
  20. degree — an amount
  21. spring — the season
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. squash — the sport
  24. degree — temperature

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