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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. file — a tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. perch — the fish
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. root — the cause
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a line
  12. row — to paddle
  13. suit — to fit
  14. mug — a face
  15. suit — in cards
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. file — a document
  19. mug — to rob
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. root — of a word
  22. wax — to grow
  23. suit — clothes
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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