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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — to grow
  3. spell — letters
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bass — low music
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rock — a stone
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a document
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spell — a short time
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bound — certain
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spell — magic
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rock — music

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