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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. spell — magic
  4. charge — in control
  5. bark — to shout
  6. spell — letters
  7. tube — a container
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. spell — a short time
  11. season — of the year
  12. tube — the underground
  13. charge — a price
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tear — to rip
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tube — in a tire

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