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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — to go on
  6. rest — a break
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — finally
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. rest — what's left
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. drill — the tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rest — what's left
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fall — the season
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. drill — army training
  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