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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: straw · mug · scale · tear · face · ruler · jam · march

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. face — to point toward
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. tear — to rip
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. face — part of the head
  11. scale — size or range
  12. face — to confront
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. march — music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. scale — in music
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — to rob
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — a face
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. march — the month

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