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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. scale — in music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lean — to bend
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lean — thin
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. wax — to grow
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mug — to rob
  21. tear — from crying
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mug — a face

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