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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · leaves · spell · chip · mark · last · game · firm

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. firm — a company
  5. chip — for betting
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — to grow
  10. last — to go on
  11. mark — a grade
  12. spell — letters
  13. last — finally
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. firm — steady
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mark — a trace
  19. chip — to eat
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. spell — magic
  22. game — wild animals
  23. firm — decided
  24. wax — in the ear

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