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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fall — the season
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mate — a partner
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mouse — for a computer

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