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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. tear — to rip
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. press — a publisher
  7. march — the month
  8. last — final
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. last — finally
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. march — the month
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. march — music
  18. last — to go on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wax — to grow
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. calf — a young animal

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