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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — to grow
  3. plane — a tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. press — to push
  6. tear — from crying
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mug — to rob
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rest — what's left
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mug — a face
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bore — to drill
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mug — a cup
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bore — to tire

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