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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. file — a document
  3. shower — rain
  4. file — a line of people
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — a break
  13. stem — to come from
  14. spell — letters
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — magic
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. file — a tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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