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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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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: perch · cell · lean · face · tear · mark · mouse · staff

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mark — a trace
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — thin
  5. tear — from crying
  6. face — to confront
  7. staff — employees
  8. mark — a grade
  9. perch — the fish
  10. face — to point toward
  11. staff — employees
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cell — a phone
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cell — in biology

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