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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. cell — a phone
  5. perch — the fish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. swing — to play on
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tear — from crying
  11. swing — music
  12. face — to confront
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. cell — in biology
  15. lean — thin
  16. lean — to bend
  17. face — to point toward
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. swing — in golf
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. tear — to rip
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. perch — for a bird

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