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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a document
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. net — for catching
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. net — in sport
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to click
  22. net — after costs
  23. cap — of ice
  24. file — a tool

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