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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. can — a tin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. wax — to grow
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. can — a tin
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. firm — decided
  13. chip — for betting
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. file — a document
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — for sport
  18. chip — to eat
  19. can — to be able to
  20. field — a subject
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. firm — steady
  24. file — a line of people

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