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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. wax — to grow
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. row — to paddle
  9. row — a line
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. craft — boats
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. saw — the tool
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. craft — a skill
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. date — the fruit
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. key — in music

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