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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. roll — a cake
  3. file — a tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. press — to push
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. lie — to recline
  14. fall — the season
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. file — a line of people
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wax — to grow
  23. roll — a list
  24. cold — an illness

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