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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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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: tear · rule · pound · tube · plane · face · stick · toast

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. toast — bread
  4. plane — a tool
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rule — a law
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rule — government
  13. face — to confront
  14. tear — from crying
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. pound — a weight
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tube — a container
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tube — the underground

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