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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — low music
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bass — the fish
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — boats
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — a container
  12. mate — a friend
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mate — a partner
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. degree — an amount
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. tube — in a 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