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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. object — an aim
  5. tear — from crying
  6. object — a thing
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — to breed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. tear — to rip
  13. hand — help
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — a leader
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fall — the season
  21. dip — to sink
  22. object — to protest
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — to dunk

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