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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 120 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tear — to rip
  5. rest — what's left
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rest — a break
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. capital — money
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wax — to grow
  12. season — of the year
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. saw — the tool
  16. capital — a city
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. season — in sport
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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