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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rock — music
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ground — a position
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rash — a series
  15. ground — the earth
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rash — hasty

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