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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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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: object · tear · lie · wax · scale · shower · deal · sharp

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. tear — to rip
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. shower — to wash
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. object — a thing
  9. scale — size or range
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. scale — in music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. tear — from crying
  16. shower — rain
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. object — to protest
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tear — from crying
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. scale — for weighing

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