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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. current — of water
  3. snap — to click
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. net — after costs
  6. current — happening now
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. band — a music group
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. band — a ring
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. net — in sport
  14. current — electric
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. toast — bread
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — for catching
  20. tear — from crying
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. shower — rain
  23. tear — to rip
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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