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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to confront
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. tear — from crying
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — to wash
  7. face — part of the head
  8. can — to be able to
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. face — to point toward
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — rain
  14. can — a tin
  15. ball — a dance
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. patient — a sick person

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