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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. file — a tool
  3. wax — to grow
  4. file — a document
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. staff — employees
  7. board — a committee
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. staff — a stick
  12. file — a line of people
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. staff — employees
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a ring
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. band — a music group
  22. board — to get on
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. shower — rain

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