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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wax — to grow
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rule — a law
  13. last — to go on
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. shower — rain
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lean — thin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. tube — a container
  23. shower — to wash
  24. key — for a lock

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