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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. last — to go on
  3. can — a tin
  4. land — to come down
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. land — a country
  10. spell — a short time
  11. can — to be able to
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — magic
  15. wax — to grow
  16. can — a tin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — letters
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — ground
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mouse — for a computer

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