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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — army training
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. stem — to come from
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. last — final
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bank — of a river
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitch — completely
  14. court — of law
  15. bank — for money
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bank — for money
  18. court — for sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. last — to go on
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. wake — before a funeral

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