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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. snap — to click
  3. file — a document
  4. spell — magic
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pit — a hole
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. spell — a short time
  9. file — a line of people
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pit — in a race
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. rock — music
  19. file — a tool
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. spell — letters
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. deal — to handle

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