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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. tear — to rip
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. saw — the tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. ground — the earth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — finally
  12. wax — to grow
  13. tear — from crying
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bank — of a river
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. kid — child

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