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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. suit — in cards
  3. tear — to rip
  4. face — to confront
  5. can — to be able to
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. suit — clothes
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tear — from crying
  12. spell — magic
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. face — part of the head
  16. branch — a division
  17. spell — a short time
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mate — to breed
  20. suit — to fit
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  24. tear — from crying

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