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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. file — a tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — final
  7. file — a line of people
  8. can — a tin
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. fork — in a road
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. can — to be able to
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — to go on
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wax — to grow
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. file — a document

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