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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tear — from crying
  4. file — a tool
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rock — a stone
  7. file — a document
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. tube — a container
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. tear — from crying
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rock — music
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wax — to grow
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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