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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in 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. fork — to eat with
  3. object — a thing
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. file — a tool
  15. object — to protest
  16. wound — an injury
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. file — a document
  21. fork — in a road
  22. object — an aim
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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