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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. tear — from crying
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. tear — from crying
  5. land — a country
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. key — in music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spell — letters
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. spell — magic
  13. land — ground
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — thin
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lean — to bend

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