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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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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 · rash · tear · lie · clip · deal · temple · fine

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. clip — a video
  4. tear — from crying
  5. rash — a series
  6. lie — to recline
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. face — part of the head
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fine — high quality
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. clip — to cut
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. deal — to handle
  20. face — to point toward
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. fine — all right
  23. tear — to rip
  24. face — to confront

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