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

Word bank: tear · toast · net · lie · face · stick · bear · nail

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — to confront
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. net — after costs
  12. bear — the animal
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. tear — to rip
  15. face — to point toward
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lie — to recline
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — part of the head
  24. net — in sport

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