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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. last — finally
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. track — to keep track
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. wake — a trail
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. can — to be able to
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. season — of the year
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. wax — to grow
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. toast — bread
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. season — in sport

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