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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mug — a face
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. chair — a leader
  11. rush — hurry
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. file — a document
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. stand — to bear
  24. mug — to rob

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