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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. spring — of water
  4. tear — from crying
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. firm — a company
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — finally
  13. firm — steady
  14. drill — army training
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. firm — decided
  22. drill — a practice
  23. last — final
  24. spring — the season

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