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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 120 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. land — a country
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. press — to push
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wax — to grow
  18. tube — a container
  19. press — newspapers
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fall — to drop
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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