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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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. coach — pulled by horses
  4. tear — to rip
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stand — to bear
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. saw — the tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stem — to come from
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rush — hurry
  24. saw — the tool

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