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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. tear — to rip
  5. last — final
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. spell — magic
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — thin
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spell — letters
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. spell — a short time
  19. last — finally
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. last — to go on
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wax — to grow

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