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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. last — to go on
  3. lean — thin
  4. last — final
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. current — electric
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wax — to grow
  15. current — of water
  16. last — finally
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. vault — a safe
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cold — an illness
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. current — happening now
  24. lean — to bend

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