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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pound — a weight
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. vault — a safe
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. file — a document
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. file — a line of people
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — for dogs

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