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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. club — a group
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. spell — a short time
  6. land — ground
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. spell — letters
  9. lean — thin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — magic
  12. tear — from crying
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lean — to bend
  15. chair — a leader
  16. land — to come down
  17. rest — what's left
  18. club — for golf
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. land — a country
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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