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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tear — from crying
  3. band — a ring
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. band — a music group
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bore — to tire
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bat — the animal
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to confront
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. foot — a measure
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bat — in an idiom

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