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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tear — to rip
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. charge — in control
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hand — in cards
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. hand — help
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. charge — electricity
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wax — to grow
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. charge — a price
  24. rush — hurry

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