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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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a song
  11. wax — to grow
  12. object — to protest
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — a path
  15. chair — a leader
  16. tear — from crying
  17. object — an aim
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. object — a thing
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. tear — to rip

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