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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: mouse · wake · clip · tear · nail · firm · face · swing

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — steady
  4. clip — for paper
  5. firm — a company
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. wake — a trail
  10. clip — a video
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. swing — music
  19. face — part of the head
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tear — to rip

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