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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — army training
  3. clip — to cut
  4. last — final
  5. wax — to grow
  6. tear — from crying
  7. clip — a video
  8. firm — decided
  9. drill — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — steady
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fine — high quality
  15. foot — a measure
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. last — to go on
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. clip — for paper
  24. fine — all right

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