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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. field — farmland
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — a subject
  10. fine — high quality
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. face — part of the head
  13. file — a tool
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. field — for sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. file — a document
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. face — to confront
  24. fine — all right

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