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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cell — in biology
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — army training
  6. cell — a phone
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. drill — the tool
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. file — a document
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. wax — to grow
  16. drill — a practice
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. root — of a word
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. root — of a plant
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. root — the cause

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