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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 116 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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. last — to go on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. board — to get on
  5. current — happening now
  6. rest — a break
  7. tube — the underground
  8. last — finally
  9. bark — to shout
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. kick — in football
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. board — a committee
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. last — final
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. tube — a container

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