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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. net — for catching
  4. last — final
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — a company
  7. lean — to bend
  8. chest — a box
  9. net — in sport
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. firm — steady
  13. lean — thin
  14. chest — of your body
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — after costs
  23. shower — rain
  24. last — finally

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