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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wax — to grow
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. tear — to rip
  12. scale — size or range
  13. tube — the underground
  14. face — to confront
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. scale — in music
  24. face — part of the head

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