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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kick — in football
  6. mug — to rob
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. rest — a break
  13. mug — a cup
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mug — a face
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — finally
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. current — electric
  21. rest — what's left
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. current — happening now
  24. last — final

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