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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. tear — from crying
  3. field — a subject
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wind — moving air
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — for sport
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mark — a trace
  16. field — farmland
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tube — a container
  21. face — to confront
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hand — part of the body

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