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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wax — to grow
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. clip — for paper
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — the tool
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wake — a trail
  14. drill — a practice
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — for pool
  23. clip — a video
  24. wake — before a funeral

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