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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. tear — to rip
  3. current — of water
  4. club — for golf
  5. wax — to grow
  6. current — electric
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. current — happening now
  10. tear — from crying
  11. march — music
  12. degree — temperature
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. tear — from crying
  16. club — a group
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. march — the month
  22. degree — from a university
  23. march — the month
  24. degree — an amount

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