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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. can — to be able to
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wound — an injury
  16. face — to confront
  17. land — a country
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. face — to point toward
  21. tear — to rip
  22. can — a tin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — in a tire

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