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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitch — completely
  3. file — a document
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. suit — in cards
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. file — a tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. temple — a place of worship

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