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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. tear — to rip
  3. march — the month
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — an injury
  9. snap — to click
  10. rock — a stone
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kid — child
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wax — to grow
  24. tear — from crying

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