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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: rule · rash · cabinet · face · wound · object · tear · squash

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. tear — to rip
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. object — to protest
  8. rule — a law
  9. object — a thing
  10. rash — a series
  11. rule — government
  12. squash — the sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. object — an aim
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. face — to confront
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rash — hasty
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. squash — to crush

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