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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fall — to drop
  6. net — after costs
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rest — a break
  9. net — for catching
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rest — what's left
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. tear — to rip
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. net — in sport
  21. fall — the season
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. tear — from crying

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