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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. march — the month
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. tear — from crying
  5. charge — a price
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. charge — electricity
  11. tear — from crying
  12. march — music
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — clever
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. charge — in control
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — to grow
  24. net — after costs

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