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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rest — a break
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bound — obliged
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. rest — what's left
  8. file — a document
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — certain
  18. file — a line of people

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