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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wax — to grow
  3. chair — a leader
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. object — an aim
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bound — certain
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fork — in a road
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. tear — to rip
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — a break
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tear — from crying
  20. object — to protest
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bound — obliged
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bound — tied together

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