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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. track — a song
  3. rule — government
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. track — a path
  6. kick — in football
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. tear — from crying
  10. track — to keep track
  11. stock — shares
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stock — goods
  23. rule — a law
  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