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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. degree — an amount
  5. wound — an injury
  6. degree — temperature
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — to drop
  9. board — to get on
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. degree — from a university
  13. ball — a great time
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a committee
  19. branch — a division
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. fall — the season
  24. ball — a round shape

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