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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fine — all right
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. face — to point toward
  7. file — a tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. fine — high quality
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. wax — to grow
  15. prune — to trim
  16. face — part of the head
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. file — a line of people
  19. face — to confront
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. wax — in the ear

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