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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. chest — of your body
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tear — from crying
  14. season — of the year
  15. can — a tin
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — to be able to
  18. fine — all right
  19. chest — a box
  20. season — in sport
  21. wax — to grow
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. can — a tin

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