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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a line of people
  8. march — the month
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. net — for catching
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. file — a document
  14. bulb — for light
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. net — after costs
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. file — a tool
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. march — music
  24. saw — the 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