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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 116 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. saw — the tool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — magic
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bank — for money
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bank — for money
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spell — letters
  24. ruler — a monarch

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