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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. key — in music
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. key — the most important part
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — finally
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. current — electric
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. last — final
  13. current — of water
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. chair — a leader
  19. last — to go on
  20. wax — to grow
  21. current — happening now
  22. fall — the season
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chair — to sit on

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