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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: lean · sharp · mark · straw · net · face · wave · tear

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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. lean — to bend
  4. net — in sport
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. lean — thin
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mark — a grade

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