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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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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 · trunk · tear · wound · drill · fall · can · squash

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — to be able to
  3. face — to confront
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. drill — the tool
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. squash — the sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tear — to rip
  16. face — to point toward
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wound — an injury
  22. drill — army training
  23. squash — to crush
  24. drill — a practice

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