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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. firm — a company
  3. rock — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. firm — steady
  6. fall — the season
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. tear — to rip
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rock — a stone
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. firm — decided
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. hand — help
  20. rush — hurry
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tear — from crying

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