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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · face · tear · kick · land · drill · bass · net

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. face — part of the head
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. kick — in football
  10. drill — a practice
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — from crying
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. drill — army training
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bass — the fish
  18. land — ground
  19. drill — the tool
  20. object — to protest
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bass — low music
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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