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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: present · content · lash · land · wax · tear · rest · pitcher

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — the time now
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. content — the amount
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. rest — what's left
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. wax — to grow
  13. land — ground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. land — to come down
  16. land — a country
  17. content — happy
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. present — a gift
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. rest — a break
  24. content — videos and posts

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