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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. field — a subject
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — certain
  6. file — a line of people
  7. suit — clothes
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. squash — the sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. rash — a series
  14. field — farmland
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a document
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bound — tied together
  23. suit — to fit
  24. cap — of ice

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