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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. last — to go on
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bass — low music
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. lean — thin
  8. last — final
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a trace
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. lean — to bend
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. safe — out of danger

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