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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · bark · race · tear · ruler · hide

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tear — from crying
  3. face — to confront
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. race — humankind
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. face — part of the head
  13. tear — from crying
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bark — to shout
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hide — animal skin

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