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

Word bank: tear · stand · cold · wax · club · suit · bear · staff

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. club — for dancing
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. staff — employees
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wax — to grow
  13. club — for golf
  14. staff — employees
  15. bear — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. suit — in cards
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. suit — to fit
  23. tear — to rip
  24. bear — the animal

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