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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 · ground · perch · kick · face · stand · tube · swing

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — the underground
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — a position
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — crushed
  7. swing — music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. face — to point toward
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. swing — in golf
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ground — the earth
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. kick — in football
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. tear — to rip
  21. swing — to play on
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stand — to bear
  24. tube — a container

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