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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — to fit
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stem — to come from
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. suit — in cards
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. suit — clothes
  18. last — final
  19. ground — a position
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. calf — of the leg

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