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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 120 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. content — happy
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. spring — a coil
  11. content — the amount
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wound — an injury
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. spring — of water
  22. file — a line of people
  23. staff — a stick
  24. spring — the season

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