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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. saw — the tool
  3. charge — in control
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bass — low music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. last — to go on
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. spring — the season
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wax — to grow
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. last — final

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