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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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468
Word bank
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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. object — an aim
  3. tear — to rip
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. lean — thin
  9. object — a thing
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — the tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. drill — army training
  22. wax — to grow
  23. object — to protest
  24. drill — a practice

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