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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 120 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: foot · season · tube · rash · face · tear · can · fall

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tube — a container
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tube — the underground
  7. can — to be able to
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. can — a tin
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. season — of the year
  14. rash — hasty
  15. face — to point toward
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. season — in sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. foot — a measure
  20. face — to confront
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. face — part of the head

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