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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rash — a series
  4. land — to come down
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. land — ground
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rash — hasty
  11. last — final
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. last — finally
  14. land — a country
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. last — to go on
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. chip — for betting
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. wax — to grow

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