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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wax — to grow
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wind — moving air
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wound — an injury

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