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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mate — to breed
  3. file — a document
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bark — to shout
  10. file — a line of people
  11. rest — a break
  12. current — happening now
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. file — a tool
  16. mate — a friend
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. hide — animal skin

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