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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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — to point toward
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. tear — to rip
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tear — from crying
  14. capital — money
  15. can — a tin
  16. mine — for digging
  17. face — to confront
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. capital — a city
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. capital — a big letter

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