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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mug — a face
  3. tube — a container
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. last — finally
  8. season — of the year
  9. saw — the tool
  10. last — to go on
  11. face — to point toward
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wax — to grow
  14. last — final
  15. file — a document
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. face — part of the head
  20. file — a line of people
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. face — to confront
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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