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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chest — a box
  7. bear — the animal
  8. lean — thin
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. can — to be able to
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. drill — army training
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lean — to bend
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. tear — from crying

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