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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 124 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. last — finally
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wake — a trail
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spell — letters
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — magic
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. spell — a short time
  20. firm — decided
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. firm — steady
  24. arm — a part of something

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