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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. spring — of water
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a music group
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. file — a line of people
  16. spring — the season
  17. fork — in a road
  18. wax — to grow
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. chest — a box
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lash — to lash out

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