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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — final
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. saw — the tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — to bear
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wake — a trail
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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