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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. face — part of the head
  4. firm — decided
  5. shower — to wash
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. shower — rain
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. roll — a list
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. press — newspapers
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. stem — to come from
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. face — to confront
  19. rock — a stone
  20. tear — from crying
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. roll — a cake
  24. face — to point toward

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