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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed 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. pound — for dogs
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wax — to grow
  14. spell — letters
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tear — from crying
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. straw — dry grass
  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