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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. content — the amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. tear — from crying
  10. content — happy
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. wax — to grow

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