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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rash — hasty
  5. current — electric
  6. rash — a series
  7. staff — employees
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wax — to grow
  10. current — happening now
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. swing — in golf
  15. current — of water
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. swing — music

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