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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bound — tied together
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bound — certain
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — a city
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rest — a break
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wake — a trail
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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