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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mark — a trace
  4. club — for dancing
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mark — a grade
  7. game — wild animals
  8. firm — decided
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. face — to confront
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. firm — steady
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. club — a group
  20. firm — a company
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — for golf
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. game — a match

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