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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bore — to tire
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bore — to drill
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tube — the underground
  16. hand — in cards
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. track — to keep track
  19. tube — a container
  20. track — a path
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a song
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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