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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. file — a document
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spring — of water
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. file — a tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spring — the season
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. object — to protest
  20. perch — the fish
  21. object — a thing
  22. spring — a coil
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wax — to grow

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