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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. track — to keep track
  3. file — a tool
  4. board — a committee
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. net — for catching
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. track — a song
  13. club — for golf
  14. track — a path
  15. net — after costs
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. net — in sport
  20. board — to get on
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. chair — a leader
  23. file — a document
  24. chair — a professorship

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