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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. face — to confront
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. tear — from crying
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. tear — to rip
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bore — to drill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bore — to tire
  19. face — to point toward
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. shower — rain
  22. bear — the animal
  23. season — in sport
  24. foot — a measure

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