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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. file — a tool
  7. bound — tied together
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. file — a document
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a line of people
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bound — obliged
  18. field — a subject
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bound — certain
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. wax — to grow
  24. field — farmland

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