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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. roll — a list
  3. file — a line of people
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. roll — a cake
  6. file — a document
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. file — a tool
  24. craft — boats

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