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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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. spring — a coil
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tube — the underground
  6. pit — in a race
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. tube — a container
  9. lean — thin
  10. suit — in cards
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — of water
  14. spring — the season
  15. track — a song
  16. suit — clothes
  17. tear — to rip
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. suit — to fit
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a path

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