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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. file — a document
  5. rush — hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. file — a line of people
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pop — to visit
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pop — soda
  24. rush — to hurry

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