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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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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — final
  5. cue — for pool
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. wax — to grow
  8. track — a song
  9. last — finally
  10. cue — a hint
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. leaves — lets stay
  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