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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. tear — to rip
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rule — a law
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lean — thin
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. wax — to grow
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. tear — from crying
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rule — government
  18. stock — shares
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. snap — to click
  23. stock — goods
  24. row — a line

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