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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.

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: hand · stem · tear · season · face · chair · ruler · rush

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to confront
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. season — in sport
  7. chair — a leader
  8. hand — help
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. season — of the year
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. hand — in cards
  23. face — part of the head
  24. season — to add flavour

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