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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. file — a tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. root — of a word
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. file — a line of people
  14. squash — to crush
  15. root — of a plant
  16. field — a subject
  17. wax — to grow
  18. deal — to handle
  19. root — the cause
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. squash — the sport
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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