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

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. file — a tool
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. root — of a word
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. snap — to click
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. root — of a plant
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. root — the cause
  21. ball — a dance
  22. fall — to drop
  23. ball — a great time
  24. wax — to grow

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