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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'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lean — thin
  5. race — a contest
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tear — from crying
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. race — the arms race
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. tear — to rip
  13. firm — decided
  14. wax — to grow
  15. race — humankind
  16. plane — a tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. firm — a company
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — to bear
  24. wax — in the ear

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