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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. file — a document
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. current — electric
  6. wind — moving air
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. current — of water
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — for light
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — happening now
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wax — to grow
  19. spring — of water
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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