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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mark — a grade
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tear — to rip
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rest — a break
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. saw — the tool
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. date — the fruit

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