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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fall — the season
  3. fall — to drop
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. file — a line of people
  9. last — final
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. dip — to sink
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — to drop
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. file — a tool
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. file — a document
  24. wax — to grow

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