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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — final
  7. club — a group
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rule — government
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lean — to bend
  17. club — for dancing
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. lean — thin
  22. wax — to grow
  23. club — for golf
  24. straw — a straw man

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