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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: present · tear · drill · rash · rush · game · wax · lie

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. present — there
  3. rash — a series
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. present — the time now
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. game — a match
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rush — hurry
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. drill — army training
  23. wax — to grow
  24. present — a gift

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