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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. current — happening now
  6. fine — all right
  7. tear — to rip
  8. fine — high quality
  9. current — of water
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — to grow
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. tear — from crying
  20. current — electric
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. file — a tool
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cell — in a prison

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