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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. drill — army training
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. degree — from a university
  6. last — finally
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. fall — the season
  11. wax — to grow
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — an amount
  14. last — final
  15. lean — thin
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. drill — a practice
  18. lean — to bend
  19. last — to go on
  20. fall — to drop
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — the tool

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