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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. scale — size or range
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — to grow
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. row — a line
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. field — farmland
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. board — to get on
  18. scale — in music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. row — to paddle
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. file — a tool
  24. field — for sport

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