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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — to grow
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cap — of ice
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cap — a hat
  13. staff — employees
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lie — to recline

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