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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. race — the arms race
  6. last — finally
  7. wax — to grow
  8. race — a contest
  9. prune — to trim
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. last — final
  13. perch — the fish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. saw — the tool
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. last — to go on
  24. race — humankind

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