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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. last — to go on
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. squash — the sport
  12. scale — in music
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. prune — to trim

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