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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. land — to come down
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. land — a country
  10. band — a ring
  11. land — ground
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — after costs
  14. rash — a series
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. net — for catching
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rash — hasty
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. net — in sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a rubber band

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