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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. ball — a dance
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fine — all right
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tear — from crying
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. shower — rain
  13. ball — a great time
  14. shower — to wash
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — to grow
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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