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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 116 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 · craft · press · wound · kick · wax · bound · firm

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. press — newspapers
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tear — to rip
  5. firm — a company
  6. press — to push
  7. firm — steady
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wax — to grow
  14. bound — certain
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bound — tied together
  17. firm — decided
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. craft — a skill
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. kick — in football
  24. craft — boats

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