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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — magic
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wind — moving air
  12. chip — to eat
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. firm — steady
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spell — letters
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. firm — a company
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. firm — decided
  24. wind — moving air

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