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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. face — to confront
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. tear — to rip
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tear — from crying
  12. club — for dancing
  13. net — after costs
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. net — for catching
  16. club — a group
  17. squash — the sport
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. rock — a stone
  20. club — for golf
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. rock — music
  23. face — part of the head
  24. tear — from crying

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