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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 120 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  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 — from crying
  2. deal — to handle
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. snap — to click
  6. mine — for digging
  7. tear — to rip
  8. kick — in football
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. spell — magic
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. spell — letters
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wax — to grow
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. spell — a short time
  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