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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mine — for digging
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bore — to tire
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. suit — in cards
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bore — to drill
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. tear — to rip
  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