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

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. lean — thin
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pop — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bank — for money
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. chair — a leader
  15. tear — from crying
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bank — for money
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chair — to sit on

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