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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 120 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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. firm — steady
  3. firm — decided
  4. current — electric
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. face — part of the head
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tear — from crying
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — happening now
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. current — of water
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. firm — a company
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. prune — to trim

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