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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. drill — army training
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bank — for money
  14. rock — music
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — a stone
  17. face — part of the head
  18. march — music
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bank — for money
  22. march — the month
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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