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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. object — a thing
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. scale — size or range
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mark — a grade
  18. scale — in music
  19. object — to protest
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mark — a trace
  23. object — an aim
  24. wax — to grow

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