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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. current — of water
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rock — music
  6. wax — to grow
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. last — finally
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. current — happening now
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. current — electric
  20. spring — the season
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a cup
  24. stand — on your feet

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