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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. rest — a break
  5. current — happening now
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — the animal
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. can — to be able to
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. last — final
  16. can — a tin
  17. dip — to sink
  18. can — a tin
  19. current — electric
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. last — finally
  23. current — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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