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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. stock — shares
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. foot — a measure
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. stock — goods
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — to rip
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — to grow
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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