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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. tear — from crying
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bear — the animal
  18. tear — from crying
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. lie — an untruth

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