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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ground — a position
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ground — the earth
  12. suit — in cards
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. suit — to fit
  17. fine — all right
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cold — an illness
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tear — from crying
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. branch — a division
  24. wax — for sculpting

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