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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. can — to be able to
  6. root — the cause
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. can — a tin
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. tear — to rip
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. tear — from crying
  15. lie — to recline
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a word
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. chair — a leader
  22. fork — in a road
  23. root — of a plant
  24. fork — a garden tool

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