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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: wax · sharp · lie · pound · kick · perch · spring · tear

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kick — in football
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tear — from crying
  18. sharp — clever
  19. spring — a coil
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — the season
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spring — of water
  24. tear — from crying

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