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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rule — a law
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ground — the earth
  13. object — a thing
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — government
  20. object — an aim
  21. tear — to rip
  22. ground — a position
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bowl — a dish

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