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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: hand · face · tear · rush · bound · tube · dip · capital

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — a container
  4. dip — to sink
  5. face — part of the head
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. capital — a city
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. face — to confront
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tear — from crying
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. tube — the underground
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. rush — hurry
  21. hand — help
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bound — certain
  24. capital — money

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