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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 · lean · wound · bore · court · face · wax · perch

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. face — to confront
  5. court — of a king
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wax — to grow
  9. court — of law
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. tear — to rip
  14. face — to point toward
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — for sport
  19. face — part of the head
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bore — to tire

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