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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. face — to point toward
  4. kid — to tease
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. face — part of the head
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hand — in cards
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hand — help
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mate — to breed
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. face — to confront
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stand — to bear

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