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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. last — to go on
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. roll — a list
  10. last — final
  11. wound — an injury
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. sharp — clever
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rock — music
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. can — a tin
  24. stem — to come from

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