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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — of law
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bound — obliged
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wax — to grow
  11. prune — to trim
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bound — certain
  15. court — for sport
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — of a king
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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