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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wind — moving air
  3. last — to go on
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — moving air
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. last — final
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — a trail
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. jam — a tight spot

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