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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. suit — in cards
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. suit — to fit
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tube — the underground
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. shower — to wash
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. shower — rain
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tube — a container
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lie — to recline
  23. tear — to rip
  24. wind — to turn a key

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