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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. last — finally
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — shares
  5. last — to go on
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lean — thin
  10. file — a tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. foot — a measure
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. file — a document
  20. stock — goods
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — final

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