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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. file — a tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. bear — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. file — a line of people
  9. chest — of your body
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tear — to rip
  12. chest — a box
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rash — hasty
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rash — a series
  23. bear — the animal
  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