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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. face — to confront
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. swing — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pop — to visit
  11. face — part of the head
  12. tear — from crying
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bore — to drill
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. root — of a word
  17. cap — of ice
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pop — music
  20. root — the cause
  21. bore — to tire
  22. swing — to play on
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. swing — in golf

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