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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. tear — from crying
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. current — electric
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wax — to grow
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tear — from crying
  16. cap — of ice
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cap — a lid
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. lean — thin
  24. tear — to rip

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