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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. clip — for paper
  3. foot — a measure
  4. current — of water
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. clip — a video
  10. club — a group
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. last — finally
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. last — to go on
  19. current — electric
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. current — happening now
  24. foot — the bottom

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