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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bat — the animal
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — soda
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pop — music
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — in sport
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bear — the animal
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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