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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fall — the season
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. ground — crushed
  11. roll — a list
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. fall — to drop
  24. ground — a position

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