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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. content — the amount
  7. object — a thing
  8. tear — from crying
  9. chair — a leader
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. object — an aim
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. content — happy
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tear — to rip

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