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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — help
  5. tear — to rip
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. row — a line
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. row — to paddle
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — in cards
  22. foot — a measure
  23. wax — to grow
  24. row — a quarrel

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