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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. file — a tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wax — to grow
  5. file — a line of people
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. swing — music
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitch — completely
  14. file — a document
  15. tube — the underground
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. tube — a container
  21. fork — in a road
  22. foot — a measure
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — in golf

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