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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — to confront
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. date — the fruit
  8. face — to point toward
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tear — from crying
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wake — a trail

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