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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. tear — to rip
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cell — in biology
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tear — from crying
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chair — a leader
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rash — a series
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. safe — out of danger

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