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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. chair — a leader
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wake — a trail
  5. current — electric
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — a thing
  8. mark — a trace
  9. current — of water
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. squash — to crush
  14. current — happening now
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — for paper
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. clip — to cut
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. object — an aim
  24. mark — to pay attention

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