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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. mate — a partner
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. spring — a coil
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bank — for money
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mate — to breed

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