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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. firm — a company
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chest — of your body
  8. firm — steady
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. firm — decided
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chest — of your body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — a box
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. tear — from crying
  24. foot — a measure

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