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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mark — a grade
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. spell — letters
  10. band — a ring
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. band — a music group
  14. current — of water
  15. tear — from crying
  16. last — to go on
  17. suit — clothes
  18. last — final
  19. tear — to rip
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spell — magic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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