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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. firm — decided
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — to go on
  10. bound — tied together
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. firm — steady
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bound — obliged
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. firm — a company
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. last — finally
  20. row — to paddle
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bound — certain
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. wave — of the sea

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