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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 is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — to grow
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. plane — a tool
  7. mate — to breed
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — a contest
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stand — to bear
  14. net — in sport
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. net — for catching
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. net — after costs
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. prune — to trim
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mate — a friend

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