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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. present — there
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. present — a gift
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. wax — to grow
  7. kick — in football
  8. drill — a practice
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cell — in biology
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cell — a phone
  15. drill — army training
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wake — a trail
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. present — the time now
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cold — not warm

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