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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 112 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tear — to rip
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. can — a tin
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tear — from crying
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wax — to grow
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. row — a line

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