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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pound — a weight
  3. tear — from crying
  4. drill — a practice
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tear — from crying
  18. drill — the tool
  19. craft — boats
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pass — a permit
  22. drill — army training
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pass — to spend time

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