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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. sharp — clever
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. tear — to rip
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. sharp — with an edge

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