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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. tear — from crying
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. tear — to rip
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. march — the month
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. face — to confront
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — to grow
  16. lean — to bend
  17. tear — from crying
  18. lean — thin
  19. march — music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. squash — to crush
  24. face — to point toward

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