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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. club — for golf
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stand — to bear
  11. tear — from crying
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bass — low music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stand — on your feet

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