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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — an aim
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. last — final
  5. object — a thing
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — finally
  10. mug — a cup
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mug — a face
  15. current — happening now
  16. squash — to crush
  17. object — to protest
  18. current — electric
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. current — of water
  23. last — to go on
  24. stand — on your feet

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