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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stock — goods
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — in cards
  9. file — a line of people
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. file — a tool
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. club — for dancing
  23. prune — to trim
  24. stock — a soup base

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