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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 116 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. stand — to bear
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — a group
  7. club — for dancing
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cap — of ice
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. club — for golf
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cap — a hat
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — a lid
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tear — to rip
  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