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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.

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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  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. last — to go on
  2. staff — employees
  3. bound — tied together
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a line
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. staff — a stick
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bound — obliged
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. last — finally
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. last — final
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. staff — employees
  23. bound — certain
  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