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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. file — a line of people
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. file — a document
  16. band — a ring
  17. staff — employees
  18. foot — a measure
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — employees
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. band — a music group
  24. racket — for tennis

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