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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wax — to grow
  6. row — to paddle
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — a subject
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rush — hurry
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. row — a line
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — animal skin

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