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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bound — obliged
  3. present — the time now
  4. rest — a break
  5. last — final
  6. scale — size or range
  7. present — there
  8. last — finally
  9. scale — in music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. present — a gift
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wax — to grow
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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