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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. prune — to trim
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tube — a container
  12. current — happening now
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wax — to grow
  15. current — electric
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cold — not warm
  19. tube — the underground
  20. cold — an illness
  21. current — of water
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wax — for sculpting

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