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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. cell — in biology
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spell — letters
  19. ball — a dance
  20. spell — magic
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kick — in football
  23. file — a tool
  24. cell — in a prison

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