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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. last — to go on
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — final
  7. tear — to rip
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bank — for money
  10. march — the month
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. last — finally
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. march — music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. bank — of a river
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — for money
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. plane — a tool

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