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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. last — to go on
  4. ground — crushed
  5. last — finally
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. lie — to recline
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. current — of water
  11. bass — low music
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. march — music
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bass — the fish
  18. ground — the earth
  19. current — happening now
  20. last — final
  21. current — electric
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ground — a position

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