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

Word bank: wound · wake · rest · wax · cell · last · current · stand

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rest — what's left
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wound — an injury
  6. current — of water
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stand — to bear
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. wound — an injury
  12. current — happening now
  13. last — finally
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — to go on
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. cell — a phone
  20. last — final
  21. current — electric
  22. rest — a break
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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