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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. can — a tin
  8. field — for sport
  9. last — final
  10. field — a subject
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. can — a tin
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. last — finally
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. field — farmland
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. can — to be able to
  22. last — to go on
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. wake — a trail

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