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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. deal — to handle
  3. current — of water
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. last — final
  10. fall — the season
  11. last — finally
  12. current — happening now
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. last — to go on
  17. current — electric
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wax — to grow
  23. file — a line of people
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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