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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: plane · lash · face · pitch · temple · pop · tear · drill

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. tear — from crying
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pop — music
  5. tear — to rip
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. drill — the tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pop — to visit
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. face — part of the head
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. face — to confront
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. lash — an eyelash

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