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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. drill — the tool
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — the time now
  6. drill — army training
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. current — happening now
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. deal — to handle
  18. file — a tool
  19. current — of water
  20. file — a line of people
  21. season — in sport
  22. wax — to grow
  23. current — electric
  24. file — a document

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