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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. current — happening now
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. last — finally
  5. perch — the fish
  6. current — electric
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. current — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — final
  14. march — music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — to go on

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