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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. staff — a stick
  3. root — the cause
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. file — a document
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. track — to keep track
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. root — of a word
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a plant
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. track — a song
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bark — to shout
  22. track — a path
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wax — in the ear

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