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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. file — a line of people
  3. row — to paddle
  4. branch — a division
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. row — a line
  10. file — a tool
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. pass — a permit
  15. file — a document
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rash — a series
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pit — in a race

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