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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — to be able to
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. last — finally
  7. can — a tin
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rest — a break
  12. can — a tin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kid — child
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. tube — the underground
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. last — to go on
  23. kid — to tease
  24. tube — a container

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