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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tear — to rip
  5. race — humankind
  6. lean — thin
  7. bank — for money
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — to come down
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bank — of a river
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. tear — from crying
  14. race — a contest
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bank — for money
  17. land — a country
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lean — to bend
  22. prune — to trim
  23. wax — to grow
  24. sharp — clever

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