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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. tear — to rip
  3. hand — help
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mate — a partner
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. plane — a tool
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hand — in cards
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. ground — a position
  20. bat — the animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ground — the earth

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