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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 124 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. can — a tin
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — the amount
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. tear — to rip
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. can — a tin
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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