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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. content — the amount
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a document
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. prune — to trim
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. deal — to handle
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wax — to grow
  23. content — happy
  24. prune — the fruit

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