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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. tube — a container
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. season — in sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tear — from crying
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tube — the underground
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wax — to grow
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. season — of the year
  24. cell — in a prison

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