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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bass — low music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. current — of water
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a document
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a tool
  13. wax — to grow
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. current — electric
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. current — happening now

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