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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. craft — boats
  3. rule — a law
  4. object — an aim
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. field — for sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wax — to grow
  11. field — a subject
  12. cap — of ice
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. band — a ring
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. file — a document
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. field — farmland
  20. band — a music group
  21. cap — a hat
  22. craft — a skill
  23. rule — government
  24. object — to protest

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