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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. file — a line of people
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. file — a tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bank — for money
  14. fork — in a road
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. file — a document

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