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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 · present · club · hide · ruler · straw · hand · wax

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. present — there
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. present — the time now
  10. tear — from crying
  11. club — for golf
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. club — for dancing
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — a group
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hand — help
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wax — for sculpting

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