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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 116 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 do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. clip — a video
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — to cut
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. clip — for paper
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wax — to grow
  16. mark — a trace
  17. file — a document
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fall — the season
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mark — a grade

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