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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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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: bat · tear · rash · face · stand · straw · bowl · pop

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pop — soda
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pop — music
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. tear — to rip
  13. bat — the animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — to confront
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rash — hasty
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bowl — to roll

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