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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. file — a document
  2. fall — to drop
  3. toast — bread
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fall — to drop
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. file — a line of people
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wax — to grow
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. perch — the fish
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fall — the season
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. perch — for a bird
  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