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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. file — a line of people
  3. row — to paddle
  4. file — a tool
  5. clip — to cut
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bound — obliged
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. file — a document
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rest — a break
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. clip — a video
  16. fall — the season
  17. clip — for paper
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bound — certain
  20. rest — what's left
  21. row — a line
  22. wax — to grow
  23. fall — to drop
  24. row — a quarrel

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