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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. wax — to grow
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — for sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. field — farmland
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. object — an aim
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. object — a thing
  13. field — a subject
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — of law
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. court — of a king
  22. object — to protest
  23. court — for sport
  24. pass — a permit

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