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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 124 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bulb — for light
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. snap — to click
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rest — a break
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. tear — from crying
  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