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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · wax · chip · rule · foot · fine

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wax — to grow
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fine — all right
  12. chip — for betting
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. tear — to rip
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. tear — from crying
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. chip — in a computer

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