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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. face — to confront
  3. tear — from crying
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spring — a coil
  10. drill — the tool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. face — to point toward
  14. perch — the fish
  15. spring — of water
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. current — happening now
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spring — the season
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — army training

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