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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 ________________ took off on time.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. file — a line of people
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fine — high quality
  10. file — a document
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. bear — the animal
  15. game — a match
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wax — to grow
  18. clip — a video
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bear — the animal
  21. foot — a measure
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fine — all right
  24. game — a kind of play

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