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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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. wax — for sculpting
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. snap — to click
  6. pitch — completely
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stand — to bear
  9. perch — the fish
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. file — a line of people
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. file — a document
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — for spectators

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