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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fall — to drop
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — final
  6. degree — temperature
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. degree — from a university
  11. rash — hasty
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — the season
  15. last — finally
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rash — a series
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rest — a break
  21. wax — to grow
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rest — what's left
  24. ruler — a monarch

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