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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bank — of a river
  3. plane — a tool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. file — a line of people
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stock — shares
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wound — an injury
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bank — for money
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bank — for money

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