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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spring — a coil
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. charge — in control
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. spring — of water
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. charge — a price
  14. wax — to grow
  15. charge — electricity
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. last — to go on
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. roll — a list
  22. mine — for digging
  23. spring — the season
  24. hide — to keep secret

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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