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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — child
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. last — final
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. last — to go on
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hide — to keep secret

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