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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. march — the month
  3. shower — rain
  4. bound — tied together
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. last — finally
  7. wax — to grow
  8. last — final
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. march — the month
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — to confront
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. march — music
  22. plane — a tool
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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