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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — a tin
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. degree — temperature
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. drill — a practice
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. degree — from a university
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. drill — army training
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. degree — an amount
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. drill — the tool
  24. hide — to keep secret

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