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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bat — the animal
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lean — to bend
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lean — thin
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. branch — a division
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. last — finally
  24. last — final

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