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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. spell — letters
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. current — electric
  5. tear — to rip
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tear — from crying
  8. last — to go on
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. last — final
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. drill — army training
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — to grow
  17. current — happening now
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. current — of water
  21. drill — a practice
  22. last — finally
  23. spell — magic
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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