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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. can — to be able to
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. wake — a trail
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. can — a tin
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wax — to grow
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. can — a tin
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. kick — in football

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