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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. lie — to recline
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rest — what's left
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. fall — to drop
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. hand — in cards
  15. last — final
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rest — a break
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rest — what's left
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fall — the season
  24. hand — help

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