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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. content — happy
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. pass — a permit
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. press — to push
  13. drill — the tool
  14. drill — a practice
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. tear — to rip
  19. press — a publisher
  20. wind — moving air
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. content — the amount
  23. drill — army training
  24. wake — a trail

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