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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — to rob
  4. root — of a word
  5. file — a document
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. file — a tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ground — crushed
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mug — a face
  14. root — the cause
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. track — a song
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. root — of a plant
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. track — a path
  22. chair — a leader
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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