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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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Word bank
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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: spring · tear · face · squash · jam · bowl · branch · rush

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rush — hurry
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. squash — the sport
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. face — to confront
  11. tear — to rip
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. branch — a division
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tear — from crying

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