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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. capital — money
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. charge — electricity
  10. file — a document
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. fine — high quality
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. capital — a city
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. toast — bread
  24. wax — in the ear

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