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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. drill — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tear — to rip
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. date — the fruit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. perch — the fish
  9. saw — the tool
  10. drill — army training
  11. current — of water
  12. current — electric
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. current — happening now
  24. drill — a practice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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