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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. last — finally
  2. clip — for paper
  3. tear — from crying
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. tear — from crying
  6. clip — a video
  7. last — to go on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. last — final
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rush — hurry
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. clip — to cut
  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