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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: face · drill · tear · bear · lie · trunk · bay · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. face — to confront
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. face — part of the head
  11. drill — a practice
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. drill — army training
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. face — to point toward
  21. lie — to recline
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bear — the animal

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