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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rest — a break
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. field — farmland
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. lean — thin
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rest — what's left
  22. field — a subject
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. rest — what's left

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