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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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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: band · stem · tear · face · safe · cap · bat · hide

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cap — of ice
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cap — a lid
  10. face — to confront
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — the animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. band — a music group
  17. stem — to come from
  18. cap — a hat
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. face — part of the head
  24. band — a ring

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