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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. field — a subject
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. field — for sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. field — farmland
  7. bank — for money
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bank — of a river
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bank — for money
  17. tear — to rip
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. pop — music
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pop — soda
  24. tear — from crying

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