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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bat — the animal
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. can — a tin
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cap — a hat
  14. tear — from crying
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cap — of ice
  19. can — a tin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bound — certain
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. lie — to recline

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