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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. mug — a cup
  3. last — to go on
  4. current — electric
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. mug — a face
  7. current — of water
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. degree — from a university
  10. last — finally
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — to rob
  13. last — final
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. march — the month
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. lie — to recline
  20. current — happening now
  21. degree — temperature
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. march — music
  24. wax — for sculpting

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