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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. file — a document
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. file — a tool
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. press — a publisher
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. press — to push
  22. bat — the animal
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wax — in the ear

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