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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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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — to go on
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lie — to recline
  8. ground — the earth
  9. object — a thing
  10. mark — a trace
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. file — a document
  15. track — a song
  16. ground — crushed
  17. last — finally
  18. ground — a position
  19. last — final
  20. file — a tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wax — to grow
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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