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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mug — a cup
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. sharp — clever
  7. present — a gift
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mug — a face
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. present — the time now
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. branch — a division
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. present — there
  24. pitch — a sports field

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