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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. march — the month
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. last — final
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. march — the month
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cap — a hat
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cap — a lid
  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