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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ground — a position
  12. face — to confront
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bore — to drill
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — magic
  20. ground — the earth
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spell — letters
  24. tear — to rip

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