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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. current — of water
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — to grow
  6. last — to go on
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. last — final
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. degree — an amount
  15. last — finally
  16. file — a document
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. degree — temperature
  21. season — in sport
  22. spell — letters
  23. degree — from a university
  24. dip — to dunk

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