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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. hand — in cards
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — a friend
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — a grade
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mate — a partner
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wax — to grow

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