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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. last — finally
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wax — to grow
  8. stem — to come from
  9. chip — to eat
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. last — final
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. pass — a permit
  19. chip — for betting
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. march — the month
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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