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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. file — a document
  3. last — finally
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. current — of water
  6. file — a tool
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. root — of a plant
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — happening now
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. root — of a word
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rush — hurry
  23. root — the cause
  24. current — electric

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