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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. tear — from crying
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. scale — size or range
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. shower — rain
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tear — from crying
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. tear — to rip
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. scale — in music
  24. shower — to wash

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