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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pitch — completely
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. roll — a list
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. tear — to rip
  24. prune — the fruit

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