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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. file — a document
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. band — a ring
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rush — hurry
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. band — a music group
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. wax — to grow
  21. file — a line of people
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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